An Ugly Yet Beautiful World
by Snivysaurus
Summary: Shenzi, a young Siamese she-cat, must decide between desire for easy life as a house cat and her desire for family when her two brothers, Banzai and Ed, are kicked out of their home for being born "ugly". The life outside of the shelter of a home is not an easy one after all. The daunting streets of the city is waiting to take this soft house cat and turn her life upside down.
1. Summary & Characters

_Summary:_

 **Change.**

How far will one go to change something? How far would you go? Would you draw the limit at life or death?

Shenzi, a young Siamese she-cat, wants nothing more than change. After leaving the soft life of a house cat to live with her brothers, she can't help but wonder if everything will always be the same. Banzai and Ed, Shenzi's littermates, look a lot different than her. Any cat who looks like them gets kicked out by their housefolk at a very young age, while cats that look like Shenzi get to live their lives inside a warm home.

As each passing day goes by and Shenzi continues to live on the streets, she wants nothing more than to change the "tradition." Even though her life takes her on different courses that distract her from her desire to change, the thought always lingers in the back of her mind. How far will she go to achieve her goal? Along the way, she will have to face loss and death, but also love and hope that keeps her going through all the hardships. At what point does the pain become too unbearable that she gives up her dream for change? Can she continue to live in **_this ugly yet beautiful world?_**

* * *

 _Characters:_

 _{Updated as they come into the story, spoiler-free}_

 **Bruce** \- Large, muscular black and grey seal point Balinese tom with green eyes. His legs are black along with his tail, ears, and face. There is a nick in his left ear, and he has different scars scattered across his pelt.

 **Shenzi** \- Slender seal point Siamese she-cat with yellow eyes. Her coat is entirely silver except for her face, tail, legs, and ears, which are black. Her tail is longer than normal. Her claws are unusually long along with her canines.

 **Banzai** \- Grey tom with a lighter stone grey underbelly. His ears are black, along with his tail and his paws all the way up to his knees. He has three black harlequin spots on his hindquarters, and bears yellow eyes.

 **Ed** \- Grey tom with a darker stone grey underbelly. His ears are black, along with his tail and his paws all the way up to his knees. He has three black harlequin spots on his hindquarters. He has yellow eyes that seem to be cross-eyed.

 **Zira** \- Black and grey Siamese she-cat with blue eyes. Her legs are black along with her ears, muzzle, and tail, which is longer than normal.

 **Rib** \- Small, skinny grey tom with a lighter stone grey underbelly. His ears are black, along with his tail and paws all the way up to his knees. He has green eyes.

 **Beast** \- Large, dark grey tom with a lighter, stone grey underbelly. His ears are black, along with his tail. His paws are black all the way up to his knees, and are rather large. Although he is thin, his muscles make him look well-fed. He has brown eyes. He has three black spots on his shoulders and hindquarters.

 **Hunter** \- Slender, muscular grey tom with green eyes and a lighter stone grey underbelly. He has black ears, along with his tail. His paws are also black, all the way up to his knees. He has three black spots on his shoulders and hindquarters.

 **Killer** \- Scrawny, but still muscular, scruffy dark grey, almost black, tom with crazed, amber eyes. His tail is only a nub, as if had been cut off. He has unusually long claws and fangs that hang out over his bottom lip, almost like a saber.

 **Witch** \- Grey she-cat with a darker stone grey underbelly. Her ears are black, along with her tail, which is long-furred. She has three spots on her shoulders and hindquarters. Her paws are black all the way up to her knees. She has green eyes.

 **Rapida** \- Dark grey she-cat with a lighter stone grey underbelly. She has long legs, which are black all the way up to the knee. Her ears and tail are also black. She has three spots on her hindquarters as well as her shoulders. Her eyes are a blazing amber color that look red in the sunlight.

 **Glaze** \- Grey tom with a pale grey underbelly. His tail is black along with his ears and paws up to his knees. He has bright green eyes.

 **Violet** \- Long-furred dark grey she-cat with lighter grey spots on her hindquarters. Her tail, ears, and legs are black all the way up to her knees. She has amber eyes. ~ Created by Ðɪscσʀ∂

 **Sky** \- Short-furred, pale grey she-cat with dark grey paws, tail tip, muzzle and underbelly. She has blue eyes and a long scar down her front, right leg. ~ Created by Leopardlight.


	2. Prologue

"Nightmare! No!" A shrill wail rang out as loud as the rumbling of the continuous passing of monsters as they continued on their voyages, oblivious to the tragedy that had occurred nearby. A large, ratty, muscular Siamese tom, was frozen in fear and horror as he stood next to an unmoving form on the sidewalk next to him.

Before him lay the body of his brother, a skinny long-legged gray tom. His body was still and his eyes were dull as he stared off into the distance, unfocused. In his throat was a wedged piece of broken glass, with other bits of the clear stone scattered around that area. Blood had started to well around the wound and stained his neck fur, even though the fluid was prevented from flowing freely by the object that remained partially inside him. His mouth was slightly open, blood trickling out slowly as he seemed to have been silenced before he could cry out for help before his demise.

A female Twoleg was staring down at the dead body in disgust. She had been the one to throw the glass object in her paws when she saw Nightmare, trying to defend herself, though the now-deceased tom had made no attempt to attack. Now in her paw she held something up to one of her ears. As she continued to stare, she was speaking into the object in her palm, though the Siamese tom couldn't understand her words.

The large cat slunk closer to the body of his brother, his eyes betraying his emotion of grief. Once he reached Nightmare, he sat down next to his body and took a hold of the glass in his teeth, tugging it out of the tom's throat and tossing it aside. His actions caused blood to flow freely as it had wanted to moments ago, though its victim didn't even give a twitch. "Nightmare… Nightmare it's me, Bruce. You know, your brother…" he meowed pitifully, giving his littermate a nudge with his forepaw. Deep down, Bruce knew the truth of the matter, but part of him was still in denial, refusing to accept such a dark reality.

The female Twoleg had wandered a little bit away from the scene, and was now speaking to two male Twolegs, who wore identical pelts. They were standing by a white monster which had a bigger rear-end than normal monsters. The female Twoleg was making gestures with her forepaws, and eventually pointed to the two stray cats. One of the male Twolegs, who had a white box-shaped thing in his paws, nodded and strode over to the two cats.

Bruce hadn't even noticed. He was still staring down at Nightmare's body, frozen with grief. When the male Twoleg had finally reached him, Bruce just twitched one ear and looked up at him, his eyes filled with sorrow.

The Twoleg took no notice to Bruce's emotions. Opening one side of the white box, which was made up of silver tendrils weaved together, the Twoleg bent down slowly and scooped up Bruce inside.

Bruce yowled in shock. He scrambled around to the one side of the box to where he could see the outside world. However, the Twoleg had already shut the box, preventing Bruce from escaping. The large tom gazed through the silver tendrils at his brother's body, which was slowly getting farther and farther away from him as the Twoleg carried him away. "Nightmare!" Bruce called for his brother, managing to stick one of his paws through the gaps in the woven tendrils. He tried to reach for the grey tom, but his attempts ended in vain as the Twoleg placed the box Bruce was in into the back of the monster, slamming it closed so that Bruce's vision fell upon darkness. He backed away into the corner of the box, which was barely bigger than him, shivering in utter terror.

 _What will happen to me now?_


	3. Chapter One

Shenzi awoke as sunlight shone directly onto her eyes through the near transparent curtains that hung over the windows nearby. She blinked her eyes open slowly, letting out a relaxed yawn. As her vision cleared she immediately recognized the living room in which in the beds of all the cats in their household resided; Shenzi, her mother Zira, and her two brothers, Banzai and Ed. The young Siamese she-cat slowly got to her paws and stretched, her toes curling and her back arching with her tail curving over to touch her spine. She let out another yawn as she shook her pelt out, turning her head to her right as she planned to mischievously awake her littermates as they always did to each other, depending on which one of them awoke first. However, the playful gleam in her eyes was replaced with an utterly baffled expression as she abruptly noticed the absence of not only the cats themselves, but also their soft, cozy beds. _That's…odd,_ Shenzi thought, turning her head to the other side of the room, where she noticed that next to the couch, her mother and her bed were still where they always were, untouched. Perhaps she would know what mystery behind their disappearance. She hoped they weren't playing some type of trick on her. She recalled dreadfully how much Zira hated being woken up before she did so herself.

The young she cat tiptoed out of her bed, her paws sinking slightly into the soft carpet that lined the living room. Delicately, she made her way over to her mother's bed. Once reaching her, she gently prodded her sleeping form in the side with a paw. After a moment, Zira's tail twitched and she blinked her eyes open, turning her head to face the younger Siamese she-cat.

"Shenzi….? What could you possibly want now?" Zira muttered drowsily as she realized it was her daughter that had disturbed her slumber. She let out a yawn and blinked her eyes to clear them of their early morning blur.

"Sorry Mama. I was just wondering if you knew where Banzai and Ed were," Shenzi mumbled, shuffling her paws awkwardly as she stared down at them.

Zira blinked. She gazed around at the living room, focusing in on the single bed that sat across the area, where normally there should be three. "Oh. You turn eight moons today, right? Our Upwalkers must've kicked them out," she answered simply, followed by another yawn.

Shenzi's eyes widened as she lifted her head up to face her mother. "Kicked them out? W-Why?" she stammered in disbelief.

Zira licked a paw. "Oh I didn't tell you, did I? You see, Banzai and Ed were born ugly. Upwalkers don't like ugly cats where we live, so they kick them out once they're old enough. The same happened with me. I had a sister who was born ugly, but my old Upwalkers kicked her out the moment she stopped drinking milk."

Shenzi just stared at her. She couldn't believe how dull her mother sounded. It almost sounded as if she didn't care. But these were her kits! How could she not care?

Misinterpreting Shenzi's silence, Zira rested her tail tip on her daughter's head. "Oh, be happy sweetie. You're lucky you were born pretty. You'll have everyone's attention, you'll be a prize winning show cat, and everyone will love you," she reminded her delightfully.

Shenzi shunned Zira away, batting her mother's tail away with her paw. "I don't care. I want to know what will happen to Banzai and Ed," she meowed firmly.

Zira stared at her in surprise before sighing in defeat. "They'll be living on the streets with all the other ugly cats, and they may even die right off the bat. My sister probably died, too," she explained. "I say they should be happy if they die, though. Then they won't have to suffer from being ugly anymore," she shrugged nonchalantly.

Shenzi's fur started to bristle as she felt fury boil up inside her. "But that isn't fair! It's not their fault they look that way! And I don't think they're ugly. _You're_ the one who's ugly, not even caring that your kits are going to die!" she spat.

Zira gasped, her eyes widening in offense. Not a moment later did her lips curl back in a snarl as she lifted a forepaw and smacked Shenzi hard in the jaw. "Don't you _dare_ call me ugly! If I could make you as ugly as them for disrespecting me like that, I would! You don't deserve to be as pretty as me!" she hissed. Without another word, the she-cat rose to her paws and stepped away from her bed, heading towards the stairs that led to the upper level of their home.

Shenzi lay there on the living room floor, tears welling up in her eyes not only from the pain she felt in her throbbing jaw, but also from the fact that a cat could be so mean. Shenzi eventually rose to her paws. Nonetheless, she knew one thing for sure; she had to find Banzai and Ed.

The roaring of monsters and the occasional sirens that accompanied them rang through Shenzi's ears, making her feel light-headed. The pungent smell they gave off as they sped by, with the mixture of cats, Twolegs, and their array of things that made up the Twolegplace made her feel blind and deaf. Her fur was fluffed out as she took in all the new sights, sounds, and odors that came with the entire settlement that surrounded her home. She had been searching for at least half the day now, and still no sign of her brothers. Shenzi didn't how much longer she could keep this up. It certainly wasn't safe for a cat like herself to be out in such a large Twolegplace like this one. She wasn't street-smart enough to properly survive out here, let alone Banzai and Ed as well. Letting out a sigh, she plopped down where she stood. _I'll never find them... This place is never ending. If I keep going, I might get lost and not find my way back home…_ she thought, feeling utterly defeated.

Shenzi jumped as she suddenly heard a loud crash come from an alleyway she was standing nearby. Relaxing from her sudden scare, she stepped forward and peered around the corner, gazing into the alleyway. Inside, she saw a cat—a skinny tom, leaning over the body of a dead rat. Shenzi noticed that the cat reminded her of her brothers, and realized that this must be one of the "ugly" cats Zira spoke of.

"Um, excuse me..." Shenzi mewed shyly, padding into the gloomy alleyway slowly until she was half a tail length away from the tom.

The tom turned on her and hissed, baring his yellow-stained teeth and arching his back. "What do _you_ want? You stupid, little, perfect pet. Why don't you go crawling back to your Twolegs?" he spat hostilely.

Shenzi flinched, her ears flattening against her head. She wasn't prepared for an instant challenge. "I-I was just wondering if you happened to know my brothers, Banzai and Ed. They were kicked out just this morning," she stammered nervously.

The tom let his fur lay flat ever so slightly, but that didn't change his still unfriendly expression. "Oh? So you actually care for us outsiders? I find that hard to believe. No one of your kind care, not even for their own kin," he sneered.

Shenzi made an attempt to push her fears aside, standing up a bit taller and more confidently. "Well if that were true, what other reason would I have to be out of my home and talking to you?" she reminded him with a tilt of her head.

The tom flicked his tail and narrowed his eyes. "That is true…Maybe you aren't as bad as the others," he muttered reluctantly. "Fine. My name is Rib. What about you, house cat?"

Shenzi settled down, relaxing slightly. "It's Shenzi. Now can you please tell me if you've seen my brothers?" she persisted impatiently, shuffling her forepaws.

Rib sat down and curled his tail over his paws, beginning to groom his messy pelt. "Nope. Never heard of those names. They were kicked out today, right? If you tell me which area your Twoleg nest was around, I might be able to tell you where they probably went," he meowed in between licks.

Shenzi flicked her ears to show she had heard, even though she was staring at the ground blankly, trying to ignore the acrid stench coming from the rotting Twoleg trash and the dead rat. "I live a few blocks down there," she meowed, pointing with a paw in the direction of which she came.

Rib looked up from his grooming and to see where Shenzi was pointing. "Hmm," he thought, scratching the back of his head with a hindleg at one of his ticks. "Down there by Maple Street, eh? I think I know exactly where they went. Go down by the intersection at 21st and Woodland, and around there is an alleyway where they might have sought out refuge. If they're not there, I can only assume that living on the streets was too much for them," he explained solemnly.

Shenzi listened to Rib's instructions carefully, gulping as she thought about her brothers not making it before she got to them. She shook her head. She wouldn't think about that; she had to believe they were safe somewhere, or at least, somewhat safe. "Thank you," Shenzi meowed and dipped in head gratefully to Rib before turning away padding out of the alleyway, praying that Banzai and Ed had survived long enough for her to see them.


	4. Chapter Two

Shenzi peered into the first alleyway she had came across after following Rib's directions, her heart beating so loud she thought it could be heard above all the other chaos in the Twolegplace. So many uncertainties swarmed in her mind. What if she had made a wrong turn? What if this wasn't the right alleyway? The worst doubt of all pierced her heart like a thorn. What if she hadn't made it in time?

Shenzi shook her head to clear her mind of all her thoughts. She took a deep breath and padded into the alleyway, looking around. "Hello?" she called out, hoping for an answer from a familiar voice. Shenzi twitched her ears, straining to hear at least a sound, but all was eerily silent. There wasn't even any scuffling inside the Twoleg trash cans of rats digging through the garbage for food. Then out of nowhere, a cat knocked Shenzi down and the two cats rolled around on the ground until Shenzi's attacker pinned her down.

Shenzi waited for her head to clear from the sudden shock of being attacked, and saw the face of the attacker. Tongue lolling out of the cat's mouth and yellow, cross-eyed eyes; Shenzi knew immediately who her attacker was. "Ed!" she purred with happiness and relief. Her face was covered with licks as her brother greeted her happily, making his grunting and laughter like noises.

Shenzi knew well enough Ed couldn't speak, but she had known him for so long that she knew what her brother meant. She laughed and rose to her paws as her brother let her up. "I'm glad to see you, too," she smiled. "Where's Banzai?"

Ed barked, turning his head towards the shadows of the alleyway. A shape identical to him emerged out, pure disbelief in its eyes. "S-Shenzi?" the cat meowed as the daylight made him more visible.

Shenzi felt her heart jump. "Banzai! You're safe!" she meowed happily and bounded over to her brother, touching her nose to his shoulder.

Banzai purred and licked Shenzi's ear. "I thought I'd never see you again," he admitted sadly, brushing his cheek against hers.

"I'd never abandon you, you stupid furball," Shenzi smiled in amusement. Her expression then became serious. "You have to tell me what happened."

The joy in Banzai's expression was replaced with discomfort as he shuffled his paws uneasily. "Well Ed and I were just sleeping in our beds when suddenly our Upwalkers grabbed us by the scruffs and threw us outside before you could even say mouse. You and Mama were sleeping at the time, and it was a bit before dawn. They threw our beds into one of their trash cans. When we tried to go back inside, they threw stuff at us. We had no choice but to leave," he explained, blinking sadly.

Shenzi nodded in understanding, though her tail twitched as she thought about how cruel her Upwalkers were. "Why did you come here though?" she asked in confusion.

Banzai looked very uncomfortable now. "Oh... Well... Um..." he never got to finish his sentence. Suddenly a large cat leaped in front of him and knocked Shenzi down, pinning her down. The cat's weight made it hard for Shenzi to breathe as she was crushed by her attacker.

Shenzi was dazed for a few heartbeats at the shock of being attacked, but once her vision cleared she saw a large tom had pinned her down, unable to make out details as he was against the sunlight.

The tom snarled and had a paw pressed against Shenzi's chest. "Who are you? Why are you here?" his voice was deep, and his brown eyes stood out a bit.

Shenzi blinked, trying not to struggle under his grip as to make this hostile tom more alert. "I-I'm here to see my brothers. I've been looking for them all day," she meowed between shallow breaths, the tom squishing her lungs.

The tom simply snorted. "Like I should believe that. A cat of your kind never cares about their kin. Now tell me the real reason why you're here," he growled.

Shenzi's eyes flared with anger as the tom said that she was just like the others. "I did. Banzai and Ed are my brothers and I came to see them. Why else would I be here?" she asked.

The tom seemed to let his fur lay flat again, but didn't loosen his grip. "True. But how do I know you're not just saying that?" he questioned, his eyes narrow slits.

"She's telling the truth. Please let her go," Banzai pleaded from behind the two where he sat next to Ed.

That had seemed to be enough proof for the tom, so he got off of Shenzi. Shenzi felt sore, the fur on her back slightly scraped off, as well as her skin slightly bruised. She slowly and shakily rose to her paws. "Who is this?" she asked Banzai.

Banzai opened his mouth to reply, but the tom got to it first. "Beast. That's the name I was born with, and it fits me just fine," he glared at Shenzi as if challenging her to say otherwise. Now that he wasn't against the sunlight, Shenzi could get a better look at him. Beast resembled Banzai and Ed, though there were a few differences, like the shade of grey of his fur, and tail length. Shenzi noticed he was well-muscled, though she could see a faint outline of his ribs, revealing that he wasn't well-fed.

Shenzi couldn't believe that a cat could be so cruel as to name their kit Beast. He didn't look anything like one. She suppressed a shudder as she imagined someone even crueler than her own mother, Zira. "How do you know my brothers?" she asked.

Beast sat down and curled his tail over his paws. "I found the two wandering the streets like newborn kits stepping into the light for the first time, so I took them in. Someone has to teach them how to survive out here, and the others agreed I should be the one to do it," he answered simply, though there was an emotion Shenzi couldn't name in his voice that suggested he was hiding something.

Shenzi tilted her head to the side in slight suspicion, but didn't try to push him to tell her more. "Please," she started. "I don't want to go back there and become like the others of my kind and leave Banzai and Ed. Can I please live out on the streets with you?" she pleaded.

Banzai gaped at her in disbelief, while Beast let out a snort of laughter. "It's not that easy, kid. You see us outsiders, we were made to live out on the streets. You, well you are better off in a warm house eating rabbit pellets and drinking as much milk as you want," he growled, causing Shenzi's fur to fluff out as she was offended. "If the harsh life of living on the streets didn't kill you first, the others would. They have a very strong hatred towards your kind, and you're lucky you didn't come across them on your way here. The only way you'd get them to trust you is to prove your loyalty to us and you're abandonment to your kind," he meowed.

"I'll do anything! Please, take me to the one who's in charge around here. I'll prove that I can live with you all!" Shenzi insisted, her eyes gleaming in determination and desperation.

Beast sniffed. "We'll see about that. Fine. I'll be waiting outside your nest at dawn with Banzai and Ed. Don't be late," he muttered before turning and padding away into the darkness of the alleyway without waiting for a response.

Shenzi watched him go, and then turned to Banzai and Ed who were padding up to her. "You don't have to do this," Banzai insisted, his eyes desperate, as if he didn't want Shenzi to suffer the same fate as him.

"Yes, I do. Like I said before, I'd never abandon you. We're littermates, and that means we stick together," Shenzi vowed and touched her nose to Banzai cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow," she mewed before touching her nose to Ed's and departing from the alleyway. She immediately took the path that would lead her straight home. She'd get to bed early, as tomorrow she had an important meeting that could change her life forever.


	5. Chapter Three

The chill breeze of early dawn ruffled Shenzi's fur as she padded in between Banzai and Ed, Beast a whisker ahead of them. The usual roar of monsters rushing down the street wasn't as intense this morning, as they were still waking with their Twolegs as they prepared for another bustling day in the Twolegplace. Her thin greenleaf coat provided little warmth and she puffed it out against the cold, but she voiced no complaint. She had to prove that she could live in this weather every day, or Beast would scowl at her for already showing signs of weakness against the harsh life of a street cat. He had warned her not to disrespect their leader either, or things wouldn't end well. Since then, Shenzi and her brothers had remained silent, remaining tightly woven as they continued on.

Beast led them around a corner, expressionless. They had been plodding along for quite a while now, and Shenzi assumed that their leader lived in the heart of the Large Twolegplace. She suppressed a yawn, not wanting to break the silence. Suddenly, a rank scent hit Shenzi's nostrils. She could tell by Banzai and Ed's disgusted faces that they had noticed it too, but Beast's expression hadn't changed.

Beast turned into a large alleyway, blocked off by Twolegs using their bright yellow ribbons covered with black, writing, illegible to any animal. However, it didn't stop a cat from going past. Two large silver gates were left wide open, eerily still. The scent was stronger here; the stench of carrion, rotting carcass, blood, and cats all mingled together in one foul smell.

Shenzi longed to turn and flee out of the dark and unwelcoming alleyway, but she couldn't back down now. She could feel Banzai and Ed shaking next to her, and hoped their fear scent was hidden by the stronger odor that hung heavy in the air.

Beast continued to lead them onwards, the only light illuminating this foreboding location coming from the cloudless sky high above. He halted in his tracks without warning, and his ears twitched as if he had heard something the others couldn't. He sat where he was and signaled for Banzai and Ed to step away from Shenzi. The Siamese she cat swallowed as much of her anxiety as she could, and followed Beast's blank gaze to the dark, stone wall of the alley.

Shenzi narrowed her eyes to try and make out what was hidden within the shadows, as she saw the faint outline of something she couldn't recognize. As if summoned, the sun barely peaked into the alleyway to reveal what Shenzi had been trying to decipher-a large pile of bones. She held back a gasp of horror and repulsion. To make matters worse, the bones were not only those of rats, but also of cats and dogs.

Suddenly, two shadows appeared from the back of the pile, almost in unison they walked side by side, climbing the heap of bones. One of them stopped to sit towards the middle, while the other kept going until it was at the very top and settled there neatly, gazing at Beast, then Shenzi, then back at Beast. His green eyes gleamed, and Shenzi saw a smirk appear on his face.

"Beast, what have you brought us here? A prisoner? Or perhaps maybe breakfast?" The cat meowed, his voice full of authority, and deep enough to be a tom.

The cat farther down the pile of bones was licking his lips loudly. "She looks tasty. Could feed us for a whole day." This cat was also an obvious tom, though his voice cracked, and his amber eyes gleamed in hunger and blood lust.

"Easy Killer," the first tom meowed, flicking his tail and instructing Killer to stay where he was. "Let's clarify with Beast first, then we'll make the-" he was cut off as said cat interrupted him.

"This is not why I have brought her here, Hunter. She wanted to come here on her own accord, and wishes to speak to you," Beast meowed, dipping his head and stepping back, signaling to Shenzi with his eyes to step forward.

Shenzi took a deep breath and padded up before the pile, looking up at Hunter. She swore her heart was beating so fast that everyone in the Twolegplace could hear it. "My name is Shenzi, and Beast told me that I needed to see you before I decided to live out here like you," she meowed, glad to find her voice was steady and crisp.

A noise like laughter arose all around Shenzi as she finished. She looked around frantically to discover that there were cats all around her, more cats than she had ever seen in her life, all in one place. So many cats that resembled each other, all kicked out by their Upwalkers because they were "ugly." Every single one of them cackled at Shenzi in their strange laughter, making her feel exposed and vulnerable.

Hunter leaped down from the pile of bones, yowling loudly with rich, genuine laughter, so real that Shenzi swore she could see the beginnings of tears in his eyes. His laughing soon trailed off, however this didn't stop him from leaning in and poking at Shenzi all over her body with his muzzle, causing her to let out soft squeaks of protest as he invaded her personal space without a second thought. The cats around them just continued to find pure entertainment in his actions, sneering with laughter audibly. Once his public mocking game was over, he began to circle Shenzi. "Oh, so the pretty little house cat thinks she's got what it takes to live out here like us?" he meowed in between short chuckles, obviously finding the situation very amusing.

Shenzi flicked her tail at the offensive comment, some of her earlier fear forgotten. _Is he challenging me already?_ she thought, suppressing a growl. "You all were house cats once, too. How does that make me any different?" she questioned, though she kept her tone respectful so she wouldn't get caught in a bad situation with all these hungry cats around. _But I certainly don't have any respect for this piece of rat dung._

Hunter flicked his ears; he seemed to be taking some of what she said seriously now. He continued to circle Shenzi, keeping his muzzle close to her as he leaned in to speak. "That's different. You see, our blood is practically born to live out on the streets. Your kind is born to live in a house for the rest of their lives," he meowed simply.

Killer leaped down from the pile to join Hunter. Here in the light, Shenzi noticed that his top canines hung over his bottom lip, and his tail was missing, as if it had fallen or were cut off. All that was left now was a nub of what would've been said limb. "C'mon boss, let's just squeeze her head with one of the old fox traps until she bleeds to death and her neck snaps like a twig," he sneered, his eyes gleaming at the thought.

Hunter flicked his tail, having stopped circling Shenzi. He shook his head. "Come now Killer. Is that any way to treat a guest?" he meowed jeeringly before turning back to Shenzi. "So, what's your reason for wanting to live out here with us? I _know_ you house cats, and deep inside you don't want to leave your comfy life," he meowed challengingly.

Shenzi scored her claws against the ground uncomfortably as she realized Hunter was seeing right through her. If she could, she would've brought Banzai and Ed home with her. Could she even really live out here on the streets with them? What if Siamese cats really weren't meant to live like their kin on the streets? She shook her head slightly to clear it of her doubts. "My brothers over there were kicked out last dawn. I promised them I'd be by their side, even if it means I have to live like this," she meowed simply, flicking her tail to Banzai and Ed.

Hunter smirked. "What a cute little promise." He leaned forward, shoving his muzzle into her face. "But promises mean nothing around here. You have to prove your worth by actions, not words. And that's just how we'll put you to the test. Killer, go bring our guest a rat," he ordered with flick of his tail as he pulled back.

Killer nodded and trotted off to the darker parts of the alleyway. He returned moments later carrying the dead rodent in his jaws. He dropped it in front of Shenzi with a look of scorn before going back to his place behind Hunter.

Hunter looked down at Shenzi, nudging the fresh-kill closer to her with a paw. "Eat it. This is what you'll be eating if you choose to live out here. We always gulp our meat, by the way. No manners or politeness," he sniffed.

Shenzi gazed down at the rat. Flies were gathering around at the smell of death and carrion. She scrunched up her nose at the stench, but pushed it away. The creature looked disgusting and unappetizing, but she had to prove her loyalty. She bent down to take a bite, only to retreat as the odor went right up her nostrils and made her eyes sting.

Hunter snorted with contempt. "I knew you couldn't do it," he sighed with a shake of his head.

Shenzi's pelt burned with frustration. She quickly bent down and took a huge chunk out of the rat and gulped down the mouthful. The taste was awful, and full of fur and blood and raw meat. _How could anyone eat something so terrible?_ Her tongue hung out of her mouth in disgust for a moment.

Killer sneered at her. "Doesn't taste as good as your house cat food does it? Well too bad. Get used to it if you want to live out here," he meowed tauntingly.

Hunter simply sniffed. "Well you haven't pelted out of here yet, so onto the next test. Around here, our coats are never neat," he growled and suddenly leaped at Shenzi, bowling her over into a black puddle.

Shenzi let out a gasp as she was shoved into the ground, directly into the unpleasant, dark fluid. She coughed as some of the liquid went up her nose. It certainly wasn't water, and reeked of the acrid smoke monsters gave off as they drove by. It clung to her pelt and soaked her fur, making her shiver. As she tried to get up, she found that Hunter was still holding her down.

"Not so fast," Hunter grinned. "One more thing. We're quite proud of our fleas," he hissed and scratched his flank with a hind leg, causing the little bugs to leap off of his pelt and onto Shenzi. He then let her up, but Shenzi just sat there in the puddle, gnawing at the part of her body in which the fleas had clung onto. She had never had to deal with them before, and now it was like a nightmare. She was hating this more and more, but she would never admit it in front of this literal flea-bag.

Killer was cackling now. "Oh boss, you're so cruel. Hey, maybe she will become one of us, by the looks of her now," he laughed, though he sounded more like he was running out of breath.

Shenzi eventually gave up on trying to get the fleas off her pelt. She climbed slowly out of the puddle, shivering with cold while her tail drooped. Banzai quickly ran to her side. "Please, just go back home. You look miserable," he pleaded, trying to help sister walk.

Shenzi shrugged him away. "No," she hissed. "I'm going to become one of you. Whatever it takes," she vowed, though she knew Banzai was right. She was dreading every moment of this torture, and this is how she would have to live until her dying day if she made that choice.

"Wow, you're tougher than I thought house cat," Hunter blinked in surprise, a hint of praise in his mew. "But this next thing will _really_ make you run home. To prove your loyalty to us, you have to bring us one of your kind. We will ambush them and torture them until they die, maybe even use them as a meal," he growled, his tongue running across his lips at the thought.

Shenzi's eyes grew wide in disbelief. She would have to bring a house cat here to be killed to prove her loyalty? Could she ever do such a thing, even to those heartless cats? Sure, they were cruel, but to treat them in the same manner...it didn't seem right at all.

Hunter's meow snapped Shenzi out of her thoughts. "The ambush will be at dusk. We will be waiting. If a cat comes, then tomorrow you will be welcomed as one of us. If not, then we better not see you around here ever again, or we will make you that cat," he threatened before turning away without waiting for a response. He disappeared behind some of the Twoleg trash, followed by Killer. Soon the rest of the cats also went back into hiding, until the only ones left were Shenzi, Banzai, Ed and Beast.

Beast simply turned around and padded towards the exit, flicking his tail for Shenzi and the others to follow. They all followed him out, but no cat said a word until they were a good distance away from the alleyway. Eventually Beast halted and turned to face Shenzi. "Well?" he asked, and when she stared at him in confusion, he continued. "Where will you go now?" he pressed.

"Home. I need to think, and I can't out here," she answered after a moment with a long sigh.

Banzai and Ed padded over to Shenzi and pressed their noses into her flank. "Well then I guess this is goodbye," Banzai meowed sorrowfully, clearly assuming she had chosen not to send a cat to the ambush.

Shenzi blinked regretfully and licked them both in between the ears. "Goodbye, my brothers," she choked, tears welling in her eyes.

Beast simply watched the scene with a blank stare. He then rose to his paws and nudged Banzai and Ed away from Shenzi. "Do you need me to take you back?" he asked her monotonously.

Shenzi shook her head. "No, I know how to get back. Thank you," she meowed dipping her head. She lifted her gaze to meet with Beast's own. "Please. Take care of them."

Beast blinked sympathetically and nodded. "I will. You have no need to worry," he promised.

Shenzi smiled half-heartedly before turning away to go separate ways with her siblings. She'd never see her brothers again, or any of the cats she'd met today. They each were born with different destinies, and hers didn't intertwine with theirs. Shenzi thought she heard a whimper from Ed and the sound of pawsteps trying to follow her, but it stopped with a growl she assumed was from Beast, and the pawsteps soon faded. Shenzi didn't bother looking back. She couldn't grow any more attached to them. They each had different lives to lead on, far away from hers.

Shenzi was placed gently on the ground after having her fur dried by one of the Twoleg fur-dryers. Her Upwalkers had given her a long, warm bath after she had gotten home, looking absolutely astounded by her grubby appearance after what Hunter had done to her. Now she looked more like a house cat again, wearing nice blue collar that kept fleas away picked out especially by her Upwalkers and placed around her neck. Shenzi let out a long sigh. Her Upwalkers were so nice to her, despite how cruel they were to Banzai and Ed. If only they had been born looking like her...

Zira's meow brought Shenzi back to reality. "Oh you look so beautiful darling! You'll be as good a show pet as me one day!" she purred, pride gleaming in her eyes. Shenzi hardly believed she was the same cat from a few days earlier.

Shenzi slowly padded over to her mother. "Thank you. I hope I get to be as good as you some day," she lied, faking a gleeful smile and an eager wave of her tail.

Zira flicked her tail. "You better be. I shouldn't expect otherwise. Come now, supper is ready. Our Upwalkers made us chicken and salmon today," she meowed and turned away to pad into the kitchen, her sharp tongue having returned as quickly as it had appeared to vanish.

Shenzi sighed and followed her mother to the kitchen. She glanced at one of the windows and saw that the sun was already setting. The outsiders would be waiting for an ambush that would never happen. She felt a chill run down her spine, but she couldn't imagine why. She glanced at Zira, who had been talking to her the whole time. Shenzi's pelt felt hot with embarrassment.

Zira flicked her tail in annoyance. "Honestly, you're so absent-minded. You'll never be a good show pet that way. I was saying that tomorrow you have an appointment with the vet to get your claws removed," she repeated, leaning down to take a small bite out of her plate of food.

Shenzi felt herself scoring her claws against the floor as the words left Zira's mouth. _No more claws?_ "But why Mama?" she asked aloud, though she hadn't really intended to.

Zira looked up from her meal in surprise. "Because the judges don't want you to seem vicious. Not like an outsider. You wouldn't want to be considered one of the heartless, disgusting monsters, do you?"

Shenzi gulped down the food she had eaten. "No. Of course not," she paused before continuing to speak. "You know Mama, those stupid cats made me get my precious pelt all dirty. I talked to some of our kind; they agreed to teach them a lesson. It would really mean a lot to me if you joined us in the rebellion," she explained, looking up after forcing herself to finish her meal rather quickly.

Zira licked her lips thoughtfully. "Well if I ever heard something smart come out of your mouth, then that's it. You're finally sounding like one of us. When is the rebellion?" she asked curiously, rising to her paws as her tail waved about eagerly.

"We would have to leave now to make it on time. It's supposed to be at dusk," Shenzi answered, already making her way to the cat door as she glanced back at her mother.

Zira smirked. "Lead the way sweetie," she growled and followed Shenzi out the door and into the darkening streets.

Shenzi halted at the entrance to the alleyway. "This is where the outsiders are. You go on inside, I'll stay out here and keep watch in case some other outsiders try to ambush us," she instructed as she flicked her tail towards the alley.

Zira nodded. "Good work. I always knew you had it in you to be like us. When this is over, I'll make sure you get upgraded in everything we own," she promised and padded into the alleyway without a second thought.

 _Who could've ever thought a cat could be so stupid?_ Shenzi thought scornfully. The moment Zira's tail tip vanished into the darkness, Shenzi turned and pelted off. After several heartbeats, even after being a good distance away from the alleyway, Shenzi heard it. An ear-splitting yowl of mingled terror, betrayal, and anger, only to be consumed by growls of hunger and triumph.

Shenzi swallowed any form of guilt that threatened to form inside her. It didn't matter now. She had done it. She had proved her loyalty. A new spark grew inside her. She was no longer her former self. She was going to be an outsider! There was a new darkness in her heart that hadn't been there before, and she felt a cold spot where her warm-heartedness used to be. Or perhaps, this coldness had always been there, waiting to be awakened from deep inside her. Shenzi glanced at her reflection in a nearby puddle. With a mighty tug from her jaws, she tore off her collar and flung it into the tainted water, causing her reflection to shatter. She may have looked like a fragile house cat, but deep inside, she was a wild beast, just like the rest of her kind.


	6. Chapter Four

The sun shone high in the sky, which held several wisps of clouds here and there, but not enough to suggest any sign of rain anytime soon. The Large Twolegplace bustled on as always, though where this particular she cat was located, the streets were quieter.

Shenzi hid behind a trash can, remaining carefully still. Slowly and silently, she peered out behind it. Her gaze was fixed intently on the falcons that had settled down to peck at the sidewalk, searching for stray crumbs that sloppy Twolegs tended to litter the streets with. Waiting a few heartbeats longer, Shenzi finally sprinted out of her hiding place towards the birds. They started to take off, letting out alarm calls, but she managed to catch one of them by the wing. The falcon pecked at her face violently, flapping its free wing in a vain attempt to escape. Shenzi held her grip on the falcon's wing tight, ignoring the blood that dripped into her eye from a fresh wound right above it thanks to the stubborn bird. She lashed out with a paw and hit the falcon's neck, slashing its throat and causing the creature to fall still as she released its wing. Shenzi licked her lips and rubbed the blood from her wound away with a forepaw. _A bit of a messy kill, but lunch is lunch_ , she thought cheerfully and picked up the bird in her jaws.

Two moons ago, Shenzi had used her memory of Rib's directions to find her way back to Beast's alleyway. Banzai, Ed, and Beast were surprised to see her, but when they started to question how she did it, she avoided answering. She didn't want them to know who exactly she had sent to the ambush, in fear that the three would be horrified if they discovered she had murdered her own mother. Since then, she lived with the three toms in their alleyway. Beast had been teaching them how to hunt and fight as well. So far their training was going well, although Shenzi would constantly attempt to push herself to do things she felt ready for before the older tom would scold her and insist that it wasn't her time yet.

Shenzi twitched her ears as she padded on back to the alleyway. Beast wouldn't be happy to discover she had gotten hurt while hunting. He strongly informed them countless times in the past that if even the smallest wound got infected, it could kill a cat in a matter of days. Shenzi merely ignored his warnings, determined to prove she could survive on the streets. So far, she had proved she could last as long as any outsider. _I guess Hunter was wrong in the end_.

After turning a final corner, the slender she cat padded into her alleyway confidently. "I'm back!" she called through a mouthful of prey. However, there was only silence in response, and no eager movement came to meet with her return. Perhaps the others were out hunting as well? Suddenly Shenzi felt teeth meet her tail and tug her behind a trash can. She hissed in surprise, dropping her catch and whipping around. "Hey! What was that for?" she snapped at Beast, who had been the one to snatch her back. Banzai and Ed were at his sides.

Beast flicked his tail against her mouth to silence her. "Quiet. There's a stray dog running loose. It's in our alleyway for the time being. Kick that falcon out of here or it'll find us," he growled quietly.

"No way! I worked hard to catch that bird!" Shenzi hissed, pointing to her wound with a paw.

"Shenzi! You're not supposed to be hunting things that hunt _us_ ," Banzai sighed in disapproval, shaking his head.

"Quiet, the both of you! Here it comes, the big brute," Beast snapped in a hushed tone.

A loud clang met with Shenzi's ears a moment after he spoke. The sound of a large nose snuffling about the garbage noisily could be heard nearby as well. She peered out hesitantly behind the trash can, and saw a large black and brown dog, its pelt covered in scars. As it sniffed about, it seemed to be scouring the scattered rubbish for something to call a meal.

"It's a stray alright…" Shenzi muttered quietly to herself as she watched its movements, almost intrigued. A soft dragging sound caught her attention, and she turned back to find Ed nudging her falcon out into the open.

"Hey!" she hissed and leaped on top of her catch, causing the trash can they were hiding behind to fall over at the force of her jump. Shenzi flinched and her fur fluffed out apprehensively. The dog had clearly heard. Slowly she turned her head to find that it bared its teeth at them and started a barking fit.

"Scatter!" Beast ordered and the four cats sprinted out of the alleyway, leaving Shenzi's catch behind. This didn't distract the dog however, as it was right on their heels. Beast matched Shenzi stride for stride in their desperate attempt to flee. "Lead it to the alleyway where the monsters sleep; we'll be able to lose it there!" he hissed.

Shenzi nodded and made a sharp turn down a street. She rammed into a trash can as she ran, ignoring the instant pain that shot through her side. Luckily as she heard a loud crash, she knew she had successfully knocked it over, attempting to slow the dog down, but when she looked over her shoulder it had simply leaped over her obstacle. She hissed in frustration and continued to race forward.

Beast led the three down the street and made another sharp turn to the right. The dog was still only a few whiskers behind, and wasn't showing any signs of slowing down. Finally, after what felt like ages, the alleyway he had mentioned came into view. The four turned into it, finding many garages where the Twolegs kept their monsters and more trash cans.

Beast was the first to leap up onto the webbed fences and then onto the roof of a garage. Banzai went right after him, but Shenzi turned for the large brick wall fence, leaping up a small trash can and onto the edge of it, out of reach of the dog.

The mutt however was still in pursuit of Ed, who was barely clambering up onto the webbed fence. He made a large, desperate leap once he gained some type of footing and just barely made it onto the roof, his hind legs dangling beneath him. Beast and Banzai both reached down and grabbed a hold of his scruff, and with their teamwork, they pulled Ed to safety.

But the dog hadn't given up yet. It snarled and yelped, leaping up to try and reach the three toms in vain, though it seemed to be putting more of an effort into continuously barking. Shenzi narrowed her eyes before arching her back and hissing at it. The dog turned to look at her, but simply returned its attention back to the others, finding them more worth its time. Shenzi twitched her tail in slight offense. "I'll show it who's boss," she growled softly as she crouched down to jump.

"Shenzi!" Beast's furious mew rang from the garage roof as he instantly noticed her actions. "What in the world are you doing?!" he snapped at her, fear also mingled in his tone now.

"Showing Fido over here not to mess with a street cat!" Shenzi replied with a smirk and a wave of her tail. A moment later she leaped onto the dog's neck, digging in with her claws and biting into its scruff while her hing legs fought to scratch up his flank in the process.

The dog yelped in surprise, though it was soon replaced with rage-filled snarls. It turned its head to reach Shenzi with its snapping, drooling jaws, and managed to grab Shenzi's tail and yank her off.

"Rat dung!" Shenzi yowled as she hit the ground with a thud, scraping off some fur. Her tail was bleeding and stung where the dog had bitten. She was the center of its attention now, looking like easy, stupid prey. _Be careful what you wish for_ , she thought begrudgingly. She braced herself for more pain to follow as the mutt held her down by her tail, though she also prepared to lash out regardless until she had the upper hand once more.

Beast's growl briefly drew her attention away from her predator, and moment later she saw his body thrown onto the dog's head, raking at its eyes with his claws. The dog snarled and shook its head violently as it released her tail, but Beast wouldn't budge. Seeing her chance, Shenzi rose to her paws and launched herself onto the dog's side, tearing at its flesh through its short, coarse fur.

The dog was furious now. It blindly rammed its head into the nearby brick wall, causing Beast to be crushed and loosen his grip, and when it pulled back, Beast released his hold on its face and stumbled to the ground. The mutt's face revealed to be bleeding from all the scratches Beast had given it. It reached back and slashed Shenzi's shoulder with an enormous paw, causing her to yowl in agony and let go as well. Letting out a triumphant grunt, it motioned to retrieve its prey, when a yowl sounded from above. "Leave our sister alone!" Banzai hissed, with an angry-looking Ed at his side. The two toms leaped off the roof and onto the dog, clawing fiercely and biting with all their might.

The dog howled and tried to shake off the two, but they wouldn't loosen their grip. Each time the dog tried to grab one of them, they moved just out of reach and slashed at its face, temporarily blinding it. Beast slowly heaved himself to his paws. "Let go!" he yowled.

Banzai glanced at Beast in shock. "No way! We got him now!" he growled triumphantly.

Beast glared at him. " _Let go!_ " he repeated more fiercely.

Banzai's ears flattened against his head and he eventually released his grip on the mutt, Ed copying his actions. The moment it was freed, the dog fled, leaving droplets of blood in its path. The two brothers cheered at their victory with wide smiles. "We did it!"

"It learned its lesson, now don't try to push yourself to do the impossible," Beast grunted, his eyes narrowing at the duo before finally returning his gaze to Shenzi. The she cat lay on the ground, a small pool of blood forming around her. Her gaze back at Beast was blank, and all the events up until then felt as if they were slowly being muffled in her head the more blood she lost.

"Shenzi!" Banzai wailed and ran to his sister's side. There was a gash in her shoulder from where the dog had struck, and it was deep, the blood flowing out quickly. "What do we do?" he asked, turning to Beast anxiously.

Beast limped over to the scene with a solemn frown. "Nothing. There's nothing we can do, except take her to someone who can. You two, pick her up. We have to hurry if she's going to make it. Follow me," he ordered and turned away, ignoring the pain in his paw as he led them out of the alleyway.

Banzai and Ed glanced at each other in confusion, but obeyed without arguing. Taking her weight in between them, they slowly carried Shenzi out of the alleyway after Beast. It was then that she finally slipped into full unconsciousness, her vision drowned in darkness.

Shenzi slowly regained consciousness, blinking her eyes open to unfamiliar surroundings. Her vision was blurred at first, but she blinked a few times to clear it, allowing her to get a better look around. She lay in a nest made of something soft and smooth judging by how it felt under her pelt. It was nothing like anything she had ever seen in the Large Twolegplace. The den she was situated in was under an overhang of a rock wall, a more natural rock than that of what she was used to. The ground was a soft yet firm soil, with tufts of grass growing out here and there.

Shenzi tried to lift her head up, but the effort was too much for her. There was a throbbing pain in her shoulder, and her pelt carried the stench of blood. She noticed that her shoulder was covered with a white cloth, similar to what Twolegs wore. There was a sticky coating on the edge that allowed it to stay attached to her shoulder. She tried once more to sit up, but just grunted as she failed to do so and slumped back down into her nest.

"Ah, you're finally awake," a deep but feminine mew sounded from across the den where a she cat stepped out from the shadows. She looked like an outsider, so Shenzi relaxed a bit since she had instantly fluffed out her fur in alarm at the stranger, though her neck fur was still bristling.

"Who are you?" she growled warily, looking at the she cat as much as she could.

"Such a polite way to address the cat who just saved your life," the she cat mused with a twitch of her whiskers. "Nonetheless, my name is Witch. And from what I hear, you must be Shenzi," Witch meowed, a hint of interest gleaming in her eyes.

"How do you know me?" Shenzi questioned, her eyes narrowed. She could only remember falling unconscious after receiving the wound the dog had given her, and knew nothing of how she got here in this den with Witch.

"Simple, my dear. Your brothers and Beast brought you here immediately so that you could be treated. Luckily they did, or you might not have survived," Witch replied with a lick of her paw.

"So you're the one that put this stuff on my shoulder?" Shenzi asked, flicking her tail at the covering.

Witch nodded. "Correct. That's gauze. The NoFurs use it to stop their bleeding wounds. When I was first a house cat, I stole some of my former Upwalkers' supplies before they kicked me out. I still stop by every once in a while to steal some more, but they're too stupid to notice," she chuckled, using many words Shenzi had not heard of before. She partly knew what Witch was telling her, only considering that her assumptions for the meanings of those words were correct. "Next, I put a poultice of marigold leaves to stop your wound from getting infected. It's an herb I can collect in the forests nearby. Then I padded down the gauze to cover up the wound, and ta da! You'll be back on your feet in no time," Witch purred with a hint of pride at her work.

"Where are the cats that brought me here?" Shenzi asked, her eyes scanning the den for any signs of the three toms. Witch had supposedly said that they had carried her to this location, but she couldn't believe they would just leave her to wake up alone in this new location.

"What no thank you?" Witch grinned for a moment and shook her head. "Not to worry, little one. Your friends are right here in the back of my den," she mewed, padding over to where lichen was hanging at the back wall. She pushed it aside to reveal another small chamber in the den. Shenzi could just make out the faint outlines of Beast, Banzai and Ed, who by the looks of it were resting, curled up into three bundles of grey fur. "I had to treat their wounds as well, and I gave them some poppy seeds to make them sleep," she continued.

"Why did you help us so willingly?" Shenzi questioned, eying Witch suspiciously. She had never heard of a cat knowing so much about treating wounds, and using them on others without anything in return.

Witch returned to her store began organizing some bitter-smelling plants, which Shenzi guessed must be her collection of healing herbs as she called them. "Why my dear, sweet child, that's what I do. It's what I _live_ for. To help unfortunate cats, like yourself. Poor souls with no one else to turn to," she smiled unusually wide, revealing sharp teeth. "Yes I'll admit that in the past I've been a nasty cat. They were kidding when they called me, well, a "witch." But you'll find that nowadays, I've mended all my ways. Reverted, seen the light, and made a switch," she purred with a soft chortle. "And I fortunately know a little bit about healing; it's a talent that I always have possessed. And I use it on behalf of the miserable, the hurt, and the distraught," Witch smirked.

Shenzi was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable by how this she cat spoke, however much grateful she was that she had healed her wound. But if Beast had brought her here, she had to trust her, no matter her...unusual tendencies.

A moment later Witch padded over to Shenzi and dropped two small seeds next to her muzzle from her own. "Eat these, sweetie. You may have awoken already, but you need your rest. Once you wake up, you'll be fit to have a conversation. Sleep now, talk later," she meowed soothingly, running her tail softly down Shenzi's flank.

Shenzi hesitated for a moment before licking up the seeds as she was told. Despite how odd Witch appeared to be, she knew there was nothing to fear from her. She had treated her, and now she felt like a kit being cared for by its mother considering how gently she spoke. _Mother..._ she forced the thought away, watching as Witch observed her. The two she cats stared at each other in silence until Shenzi's vision went to darkness as her eyelids started to droop and sleep overtook her.

Shenzi awoke slowly as sunlight streamed into the den and onto her eyes. She squinted in annoyance, then put a paw in front of her face to block the rays, as if she aimed to go back to sleep. She couldn't have slept very long if she still felt this tired.

However, a shadow appeared in front of Shenzi and blocked the sunlight completely a moment later. "Good morning little one," Witch meowed gently.

Shenzi blinked in surprise and moved her paw from her face as she stared up at her. "Morning? You mean I slept through the rest of the day and night?"

Witch chuckled and nodded. "That's what poppy seeds do to you. They make you very sleepy, and you needed your rest. Now that you've had it, I'll change the wrap on your shoulder, and you can stretch your limbs a bit," she meowed and padded away, going through her herbs. She returned a few heartbeats later with gauze, and some leaves that Shenzi didn't recognize. _Probably more herbs_.

Witch placed the bundle on the ground nearby and began to remove the wrap that was on her shoulder. She licked off the dried poultice that allowed the gauze to stick to her wound, then slowly she tore off the gauze and tossed it aside. Shenzi's gash revealed to be red and swollen, but it didn't look infected yet, and was starting to scab over the tender flesh.

Witch smirked. "Congrats. Looks like you got your first, and certainly not last, scar. I'll discard that gauze later, but now let's wrap this up again," she meowed and unfolded her bundle. First she pulled out the leaves and began to chew them into a poultice. She spat it onto Shenzi's wound and began to rub it in. "This is a poultice of marigold, it helps stop infection," she explained. She then pressed on the gauze, making sure it stuck to her fur. "Now I'm going to use this leftover poultice to allow the gauze to stay on," she meowed then spat around the edge of the gauze. The poultice stuck onto Shenzi's fur and the gauze, allowing them to stick together. "There we go. The job's done for now. Let's try stretching your muscles," Witch ordered and stepped back to give Shenzi some room.

Shenzi heaved herself up, only to have her bad leg buckle down and cause her to slump back into her nest. "No good," she muttered, wincing at the searing pain that shot through her entire leg.

Witch rested her tail tip on Shenzi's head. "Not to worry. It'll be back to normal in due time. It just needs a bit more time before you can strengthen it back up again," she reassured.

Shenzi just twitched her tail. "I guess you're right. Where are the others?" she asked casually, not trying to give away any distrust or discomfort with being left alone with this she cat.

"They were healing well when they awoke, so they offered to go hunting. They should be back soon," Witch explained. "Would you like some water?" she offered with a tilt of her head.

Shenzi blinked, and then nodded. "Please," she requested as she just then noticed how dry her throat felt, as if she hadn't consumed any fluids in ages.

Witch turned away from Shenzi and padded over to her herb stock. She grabbed a wad of green stuff that Shenzi had never seen before. She glanced down and noticed that her nest was lined with the same green substance, causing her to wonder how that could possibly give her a drink.

Witch trotted out of the den with the wad. She came back several heartbeats later with it still hanging in her jaws, but this time it was soaked and darker, dripping with water. She dropped it by Shenzi and nudged it towards her muzzle.

Shenzi stared at the wad for a few heartbeats, and then took a wary sniff. She wasn't sure if it was safe to drink, or even how she would get the water out of it. Did she have to squeeze it out and lick it from the ground? No, that didn't seem like a good idea...

Witch rolled her eyes in amusement. "That stuff's moss. I use it to line nests and get water for those who can't make it to the river," she explained.

Shenzi tilted her head in confusion. "River?" she asked, and then licked at the moss to get a drink, her ears perked as she waited for an answer.

"A river is like a stream of water, except a lot bigger. However the river here isn't as big as most rivers, and doesn't flood during newleaf," Witch answered. "You don't get around much do you?" she mused with a grin.

Shenzi lifted her head up and away from the moss, licking her lips. "I've only ever seen the inside of my former Twoleg Nest and around the Large Twolegplace. I don't think I've even seen the entirety of the Twolegplace yet," she admitted reluctantly. Upon hearing the term "newleaf" she was even more bewildered, but she didn't question it, not wanting to appear even more mouse-brained.

Witch twitched her whiskers. "Maybe one day you should go out and explore. There's more out there than just where you live. I've heard many stories from weak travelers that stumble upon my den. You wouldn't believe the things they've seen. Luckily I was around, or they might not have been able to continue their journeys."

Shenzi's ears twitched as she listened. "I wish I could, but after yesterday, Beast probably won't even let me leave the alleyway," she muttered.

"Are you and the other young ones his kits?" Witch asked, settling down to groom her fur.

Shenzi shook her head. "He's raising us and showing us how to live on the streets because our Upwalkers kicked us out," she explained.

Witch nodded in understanding and paused from her grooming. "I remember when my Upwalkers kicked me out. I had barely started to eat solid food. I managed to survive with the help of a few other she cats that had been kicked out, and now, I help others survive. Poor unfortunate souls, in pain and in need," she meowed, a hint of pride gleaming in her eyes. However, it soon vanished and her expression became somber. "He's right to be concerned you know. You jumped into that battle with the dog without having much fighting experience. Why don't you go and see Hunter? He's the most skilled fighter around, not a surprise since he is boss around here. If you're lucky, he might show you a thing or two, and you might become as good as him," she encouraged.

Shenzi snorted. "Yeah right," she meowed sarcastically. Her ears twitched as she heard pawsteps, and a moment later she saw Beast, Banzai, and Ed pad into the den. Even Witch looked a bit surprised; the two she cats had been so invested in their conversation that neither had scented the toms approach.

"What's all this I hear about learning how to fight from Hunter?" Beast growled after dropping a rabbit in front of Witch. "That's to show our gratitude for taking care of Shenzi," he explained in a mutter.

Witch blinked in surprise. "I don't need this. I've known you long enough. I'll take a smaller piece of prey; give this to Shenzi. She needs it more than I do," she insisted and nudged the rabbit over to the injured she cat.

Shenzi blinked and looked at the prey, her mouth watering at the sight. She tore into it hungrily, relishing the fresh meat and juices that hit her tongue. After gulping a mouthful, Shenzi glanced gratefully at Witch for sacrificing the better haul before looking at Beast. "Witch says I should go and see Hunter so I can learn how to fight better," she explained.

Beast's tail twitched. "You will do no such thing. I am perfectly capable of teaching you everything you need to know. You needn't get involved with a cat like Hunter," he growled.

"But why not? He doesn't say anything bad about me," Shenzi insisted, biting into the rabbit once more.

Beast shook his head. "No means no. There will be no more discussion of it," he snapped firmly. He soon turned and left the den without another word, his tail vanishing behind him.

Banzai and Ed stared after him, and then padded over to their sister. "How are you feeling?" Banzai asked, awkwardly changing the subject while Ed licked Shenzi's ear sympathetically.

Shenzi hissed good-heartedly at Ed and blinked at Banzai. "Better, thanks to Witch," she answered, glancing at the she cat who had started to nibble quietly on a mouse they had also caught.

Witch gulped down a mouthful. "Alright, now both of you out. Shenzi needs to rest. And she won't be able to if you keep fretting over her like a queen does to her kits," she scolded, rising to her paws and nudging the two toms out gently.

Shenzi watched them go regretfully. "Do I really have to go to sleep again so soon?" she whimpered in slight disappointment.

Witch shook her head. "Not yet. But I needed an excuse to get you alone. Shenzi, don't feel bad about what Beast said. He's been through a lot, and he cares about your safety. He also has known Hunter longer than you have, so he may know a different side to our boss. Now eat some more, and get some rest. I'll see if I can try to change Beast's mind a little," she promised, padding out of the den.

Shenzi sighed and took another bite out of her rabbit. She wasn't in the mood to eat anymore, but hunger gnawed at her belly. After consuming majority of her prey, she pushed the remains to the side and curled up in her nest, her injured leg awkwardly sticking out. It felt like moons before Shenzi fell asleep, and when she did, her dreams felt strangely haunted by something that wasn't there.


	7. Chapter Five

The sun lay comfortably in the center of the sky, where wisps of clouds formed here and there, but kept well away from the sphere of heat. Shenzi hobbled along outside of Witch's den with Banzai and Ed on either side of her, remaining close in case she needed sudden support. It had been a quarter moon since she had gotten her injury, and so far she was healing well. She was able to stretch out her limbs and walk around a bit, though her leg would start to get sore after an afternoon of standing and walking.

It had turned out Witch's den wasn't in the Large Twolegplace like Shenzi had assumed; it was actually on the outskirts. Shenzi could see the outlines of the tall buildings of her home, but the grass at her paws was very different from the short cut grass that grew in square patches near the sidewalks. The grass here was more natural, and rippled with the wind just like her fur. Further down the grassland, there were reeds and stems that outlined a large river where Witch said she would catch the occasional fish.

"That's where we crossed to get you to Witch's den," Banzai meowed, pointing with his tail to a large, stone Twoleg bridge that crossed the river. It was as big as the streets in the Large Twolegplace, enough room for monsters to go in either direction. The street continued off from the bridge and out of the city to who knows where, but if one left the street and went into the grassland, they'd find Witch's den, which was a small cave in the side of the hill, where the entrance had an overhang of rock to offer shade and protection from rain and snow.

Shenzi was surprised so much nature existed so close to a place like her origins, where prey tasted tough and acrid, like the streets. It was almost the exact opposite of this grassland. Here, the sounds were nearly silent, with the exception of the occasional monster driving by, and the distant noises that came from her home, since they weren't extremely far from it. On the other hand, the Large Twolegplace never went to sleep. It was always noisy, whether it was the sirens, the Twolegs yowling at each other, or just the loud rumbling of the monsters. She scanned the area slowly. Her gaze fell upon Beast, who lay in the shade near Witch's den. He was nibbling on a vole, but he didn't seem very hungry, as he only picked on it instead of consuming the creature in a few bites.

The Siamese she cat sighed. Witch had failed to convince him to let her train with Hunter. Shenzi couldn't imagine why. Whenever she asked, Beast immediately changed the subject. _Why must he be so stubborn?_ She hissed in frustration and shook her head.

Banzai noticed his sister's annoyance and rested his tail tip on her good shoulder. "Cheer up. At least your leg's getting better. Maybe when it's all healed up, he'll change his mind," he meowed optimistically.

Shenzi twitched her ears. "I highly doubt it. If he were going to do that, wouldn't he have just said so?" she insisted. She gave her whole body a shake, trying to get her mind off the subject. "Didn't you say Witch taught you guys how to fish? Let's go over to the river and I can watch. Then when my leg's healed up, I could try it out myself," she said with a cheerful wave of her tail.

Banzai seemed to like the idea, as his face lit up. "Sure, let's go!" he purred and made a few strides in the direction of the river, only to halt abruptly. His fur fluffed out in embarrassment, and he padded back over to Shenzi. "Sorry. I forgot," he chuckled with an awkward smile. Ed snickered quietly.

Shenzi chuckled lightly and cuffed Banzai over the ear with a paw. "Scatterbrain," she teased. She pressed herself between her brothers and allowed them to support her towards the river. She'd have to be extra cautious around the water. If she fell in, it could lengthen the time she'd have to wait for it to heal. Not only that, none of the cats around were strong swimmers, so there was no guarantee that the she cat would be able to get back out if she did fall in. She flicked her tail with a hint of impatience. Shenzi could barely stand another day in Witch's den, but she knew it was the only way for her shoulder to heal properly.

They kept the pace slow as they padded towards the river, so Shenzi turned to Ed. "How've you been Ed? Are you wounds all healed up?" she asked, smiling warmly. She hardly ever got to have a decent conversation with him, considering he was so quiet and he couldn't speak properly, but she still wanted him to know that she cared and didn't think any less of him for his disability, as always.

Ed nodded, his face happy-go-lucky as usual. His jaws were open, and his tongue was lolling out of his mouth. He barked, flicking his tail lightly against Shenzi's wounded shoulder, his eyes questioning.

Shenzi blinked and thought for a moment. "I'm feeling better, thanks for asking. I sure do wish I had thought before I attacked that dog though," she smiled with a purr of amusement.

Ed purred with her and barked happily as he heard her say she was feeling better. He never seemed to lose his carefree spirit in moments like this. It made Shenzi feel a warm spot in her chest whenever she thought about her brother's goofy smile.

By then the three had reached the river's shore. Shenzi limped away from her brothers and looked down into the water. When she saw her reflection, she felt a chill run down her spine. It reminded her of the night she had sent Zira to the ambush. Surprisingly, Shenzi had no regrets. Even during her bad nights where she recalled her act of murder, she also recalled what good it had done for her life. She looked over her shoulder to see her brothers pressing down some of the reeds to make a nest for her to lie down in while they fished. She smiled softly. _What could be better than spending time like this with your littermates?_

As the two toms finished making a makeshift nest in the reeds, Shenzi hobbled over to them, testing her leg's strength. A pain seared through her leg when she put weight on it, but the burning sensation was bearable. It wouldn't be long before it was back to normal, Shenzi thought. She predicted it would be another half moon, but she couldn't be certain. As she approached her brothers, Banzai and Ed moved out of the way so Shenzi could settle herself in. As the she cat made herself comfortable in the flattened reeds, the two brothers trotted to the river's edge.

Banzai looked back at Shenzi. "Ed's going to demonstrate, while I explain why he's doing what he is," he called back to her.

Shenzi let out a _mrrow_ of amusement. He sounded as if he were trying to act older, like Beast. She nodded to show she understood, and then settled down further to watch Banzai's and Ed's tutorial on how to catch a fish.

"First, you have to make sure your shadow doesn't fall upon the water. If it does, it'll scare the nearby fish away," Banzai started, and with that Ed fixed his positioning so his shadow didn't fall upon the water's surface. "Next, you wait for a fish to stray too close to you. You have to be very still, like a rock," Banzai continued, and when Shenzi gazed at Ed, the tom was sitting firmly, staring at the water intently. Not even his tail was moving. The only slight sign of movement was the very small rise and fall of his flank as he breathed. Shenzi observed closely, impressed with all they had learned in only a quarter moon. "When you see a fish swim close by, you hook it out as fast as you can, and when it's on the ground, you kill it before it flops back into the water!" Banzai exclaimed, one of his paws outstretched as if presenting Ed to a public audience.

Ed didn't respond for a few heartbeats, until suddenly, he flashed a paw in and out of the water as quick as lightning. A silver fish flew out with Ed's paw, flopping onto the ground near the edge of the water. Before it could flop itself back into the safety of the river, Ed pounced on it and bit down hard on the back of its head, killing his prey.

Shenzi waved her tail back and forth. "Bravo! Great show!" she cheered merrily.

Banzai and Ed padded over to Shenzi, the latter tom placing the freshly caught fish at her paws. "It's for you," Banzai said with a smile, his tail waving back and forth.

Shenzi looked up at the two gratefully. "Thanks," she murmured and took a bite out of the small silver fish. It tasted watery and strange, but she gulped it down anyways. She was grateful for her brothers' generosity, and wanted to be sure that they knew, despite the fact she preferred furry creatures like rabbits and mice. At least it lacked the acrid tang that most rodents found in the Twolegplace always seemed to carry.

As Shenzi finished her meal in another few bites, Ed's ears twitched and he looked up, staring in the direction of the bridge. He barked and leaped to his paws, staring at a cat who was making its way over to Witch's den.

Shenzi's gaze followed Ed's and she squinted her eyes to try to make out the cat. Because of his strange looks, Shenzi immediately recognized Killer, Hunter's second in command. _What's he doing here?_ she thought in confusion. "Let's head back to see what's up," she decided, raising herself to her paws slowly.

Banzai and Ed nodded their agreement and put themselves on either side of their sister to support her. The three then made their way back up the slope as quickly as they could. Luckily, even though they were slowed down by Shenzi's injury, they arrived back at the den just around the same time as Killer.

Witch sat with her tail curled over her paws as she waited for Killer to approach. Beast was at her side, sitting next to her. His eyes were narrowed in obvious suspicion. Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed sat down a little bit away from the older cats, but were still within earshot. The Siamese she cat watched intently as Killer padded up to Witch, looking grumpy and irritated.

"Hello Killer," Witch meowed, her tone casual as she dipped her head in greeting to the tom. "What can I do for you?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

"I'm here with a message from Hunter," Killer started, wasting no time in polite greetings. "Recently, a lot of stray dogs have been showing up, more than usual. They're trying to pick us off one by one, so Hunter is going to hold a training session for all the outsiders. He's going to teach them the basics of true fighting, so that we can all band together and teach those mutts a lesson. He wants to make sure you have enough herbs for any injuries that will be received once we confront the dogs," Killer explained with a growl.

Shenzi's ears flicked up with interest. She had received her own injury from a stray dog. This could be her chance not only to learn great fighting skills, but also to get revenge on that stupid mutt. She dug her claws into the ground, tearing out grass as she did so. In her mind, she pictured it being the flesh of her opponent as they whimpered for mercy. _Just you wait, mutt!_

Killer glanced at Beast, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed. "I'm also supposed to tell all the outsiders about the training session. It starts in about a moon from now, and he's welcoming everyone. However, Hunter's training is vigorous, and if he thinks it's too much for you to handle, he'll send you away immediately. Only the strongest of us will be allowed to attack the dogs, as they'd be the only ones who'd stand a chance," he growled to the four, looking a bit hesitant to tell them.

"I'll make sure to have extra healing herbs for wounds. If any cat gets injured, make sure to bring them straight to me," Witch told him with a flick of her tail.

Killer nodded. "I'll make sure to tell Hunter," he meowed before turning away. He glanced back at the others. "If you four plan on training, in a moon you have to show up where you first met us. And don't be late-Hunter won't take you in after sunhigh," he growled before padding back towards the bridge without waiting for a reply. Beast stared after the dark grey tom with narrowed eyes before snorting once he was out of earshot.

If Shenzi's leg wasn't injured, she would've leaped for joy like an excited kit. Instead, her tail was waving back and forth in delight. "Will my leg be back to normal in a moon?" she asked Witch hopefully, her eyes gleaming.

Witch smiled at Shenzi in amusement. "It'll be fit for walking in about half a moon, and by the time that training session starts, it'll be well enough for that vigorous training," she answered.

Beast glared at Shenzi. "And what makes you think you're going to that training session? I absolutely won't allow it," he meowed coldly, padding up to stand right in front of the Siamese she cat.

"But why not?!" Shenzi wailed, anger and confusion mixed in her tone. "If I go to that training session, I'll learn _real_ fighting moves. The kind that'll send those strays running away with their tails between their legs!" she insisted, stretching forward so she was nose to nose with Beast.

Before Beast could reply, Witch stepped in between the two. "That's enough," she hissed. "Beast, I think Shenzi deserves an explanation of why you won't let her go to this training session. I personally believe it'll be a good experience for her. Besides, if she learns to fight well, there'll be less of a chance that she'll get injured like she did. You won't be around forever to protect her or her brothers," she reminded him, her voice calm and collected, but also quite serious.

Beast stared at Witch emotionlessly for several heartbeats, until finally, he sighed in defeat. He stepped back, allowing Witch to step away from the two so they could talk face to face. "Shenzi, it's not that I don't want you going to that training session. I know very well, with your determination and willpower, you might just as well be the best cat there. However, I don't trust Killer, and I'd bet for a couple of mousetails he's up to no good," he started off calmly, but ended off with the growl once he mentioned Hunter's second in command.

Shenzi stared at Beast in bewilderment. "But why? Sure, he's a bit of a downer, but there's nothing wrong with him that I can see," she responded, Banzai and Ed murmuring their agreement.

Beast twitched his tail. "You mean you haven't noticed yet?" Before Shenzi could respond, he continued. "Killer may be an outsider, but he's not one of us. Before you take any offense to that, Killer is neither like me, or your brothers, nor like you or other house cats. He's much more different than both our kinds. There's something about him that sets off a bad aura every time I look at him," he muttered, shuddering a bit as he spoke.

Shenzi stared at her paws, deep in thought. Now that Beast mentioned it, what he said was true. Killer _didn't_ look like a normal outsider. He was much larger than any cat Shenzi had ever seen, and his pelt markings were different as well. What really set him apart were his fangs. Shenzi shuddered as she imagined being the unlucky cat to get those teeth inside her flesh.

"Do you know where he's from, if he's not like us?" Banzai asked Beast, jolting Shenzi out of her thoughts.

Beast twitched his ears, looking reluctant to say. "When Hunter was a kit, he was chosen by our previous leader to lead after his death. I was only about ten moons old at the time, but I remember it clearly. A strange looking kit had wandered into the Large Twolegplace. As you might've already guessed, it was Killer. Hunter was the first to find him, and the two were about the same age, give or take a few days difference. Hunter took him to the main alleyway, convincing our previous leader to take him in and let him stay with us. No one knows where Killer actually came from, as the kit refused to tell anyone. However, considering that he and Hunter became fast friends, many suspected that he knew. During Hunter's training, he taught everything he learned to Killer, so that when they ruled side by side, they wouldn't need to waste time passing on age old techniques," he explained.

Shenzi twitched her tail once Beast had finished speaking. "I get that Killer's different from us, but is that really a good reason to not trust him?" she insisted with a tilt of her head. "Even if you still refuse to give him a chance, that's still a _terrible_ excuse for me not to go to that training session. It'll be Hunter training us, not Killer," she argued, determined to convince the older tom to let her go.

"Yeah, and Ed and I will be right at her side! We'll make sure nothing bad happens to her," Banzai put in, with Ed nodding in agreement.

Beast stared at the three pleading faces reluctantly, then let out a sigh. "Well I suppose you can go. There's no point in not giving you my permission; you three are bound to sneak off there anyways," he grumbled, twitching his ears.

"Woo hoo!" Shenzi and Banzai cheered, with Ed leaping around them excitedly. Witch watched them with a chuckle, her tail curling in amusement.

"But!" Beast growled, interrupting the excitement. "You can only go on one condition. If this training becomes too tough for you, you'd better stop immediately. It's okay to push your limits, just don't go past them," he warned.

"We won't! Besides, it won't be too hard for me!" Shenzi boasted simply, puffing out her chest as she imagined passing each assessment with ease.

Banzai nudged his sister's good shoulder. "Yeah, and if it does become too tough, Killer said Hunter will send us home, not like that's going to happen," he grinned, looking as if he would burst with excitement.

Beast just rolled his eyes at them and said nothing more. With a snort, he rose to his paws and headed inside Witch's den silently.

"Alright you three, night is approaching us. Time for you to get your rest, especially you Shenzi. If you want to go to that training session, you'll need to rest now and save your energy for later," Witch told them, rising to her paws and beckoning for the three siblings to come inside her den.

Banzai and Ed rose to their paws first, helping Shenzi up. Soon the two toms helped their sister into her nest, touching their noses to hers. "Goodnight," Banzai yawned, as if he just realized how tired he was. With that, the two disappeared through the lichen and to their own nests.

Shenzi waved her tail in farewell to them. Although she was oh so very excited for the training session, she rested her head down and forced herself to try and sleep as Witch began to change the dressing of her wound. However, when sleep finally came, Shenzi felt haunted by the same dark presence that she couldn't see, hear or scent.


	8. Chapter Six

The sun beamed down on another day in the Large Twolegplace. The monsters rushed up and down the streets, while Twolegs walked about everywhere as always, either minding their own business or yowling at each other or into the strange devices in their paws that they held up to their ears. However, they never paid any mind to the mass of street cats that loitered about-they didn't care enough to do so. Regardless of what they did think, all the outsiders were making their way to one area-the main alleyway.

Beast plodded along down the sidewalk, leading Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed towards that exact place. He didn't look very enthusiastic, but he made no complaints as he continued on, making turns at specific corners and crossing the streets once the street lights allowed safe passage. Even as they squeezed their way through the legs of the Twolegs, they weren't disturbed by any of them, as the two species had an equal feeling of indifference for each other when it was a simple task of walking past one another.

Shenzi weaved around the three toms happily, unable to hide her excitement. Her leg was perfectly healed now thanks to Witch's treatments, and now she felt normal once again. Being cooped up inside the den for so long made the slender she-cat have quite a bit of energy pent up that she could hardly contain it. "Are we there yet?" she asked Beast, accidentally causing the large tom to trip over her tail as she stepped around him.

"No," Beast growled at her, his temper getting pushed by her childish actions. "And would you keep still? By the time we get there you won't have enough energy for the session," he muttered impatiently.

"I'll have plenty of energy! Besides, the training session's tomorrow, not today. Everyone who's going there now, including us, is getting ready to get settled in early," Shenzi said simply, falling in step with Banzai so she wouldn't aggravate Beast any more than she already was.

Banzai glanced at his sister in amusement. "Remember, we have to act professional around Hunter. We want him to think we can handle anything he throws at us!" he meowed determinedly.

Ed barked his agreement with a vigorous nod of his head. He padded on Banzai's other side, a slight bounce in his step. He licked his lips and made a few more grunting and growling noises.

Banzai chuckled and nudged his brother lightly. "How can you think about food? We're here for _training_ , not to stuff our faces," he teased lightly.

Shenzi curled her tail in amusement and chuckled softly at her siblings. She turned her gaze forward again as Beast led the three around another corner. Her ears perked up and her tail waved. She recognized this place; they were nearing the alleyway! She noticed that not many Twolegs were walking on the sidewalks of this block. _They must know that majority of the outsiders hang around here…_ she thought with a twitch of her tail.

"I swear, you three are chattier than a group of female Twolegs," Beast muttered, though good-heartedly. As they neared closer to the main alleyway, Shenzi noticed that Beast's fur started to bristle, but it only lasted for a heartbeat, so she wondered if she had only imagined it.

Shenzi's eyes widened as she saw the crowd of outsiders of all shapes and sizes gathered around the entrance to the alleyway. She had never seen so many of them gathered in one place before, not even when she first came here.

"Looks like everyone wants to join the training session," Banzai murmured into Shenzi's ear as they halted at the edge of the group of cats. The four sat down were they were, as the crowd was filing inside slower than monsters caught in traffic.

Beast's ear twitched as he overheard Banzai's remark. "Not necessarily. Remember, Killer said any outsider not interested would be hunting for all of you that will train. That includes me, probably younger cats and older ones, and then cats who simply do not want to attack the strays," he meowed to them, staring over the heads of the cats in front of him. They had found out this information earlier after overhearing a couple of other outsiders speak of the upcoming training session.

"But why wouldn't you want to?" Shenzi blinked, looking up at the large tom in confusion. "It'd be such an honor to go into battle with Hunter and the most skilled fighters! Plus, you get to teach those mange-pelts not to mess with outsiders!" she growled in determination, swiping at the empty air in front of her as she imagined it being the foaming muzzle of a stray dog.

Beast sniffed. "Perhaps they're pacifists like me," he answered simply, rising to his paws and beckoning with his tail for the others to do the same. The outsiders in front of them were moving along faster than before, as if there was suddenly more room inside the alleyway.

Banzai rose to his paws and glanced at the older cat in bewilderment. "'Pacifish?' What's that?" he asked, slowly shifting forward with the crowd.

Beast rolled his eyes as he also inched forward. "Paci _fist_ , not paci _fish_. It means that one prefers to stay out of things related to fighting and whatnot," he explained as the four slowly neared the entrance to the alleyway.

"Oh," Shenzi replied with a twitch of her tail. She still didn't understand why anyone wouldn't like fighting for the sake of their kind, but it didn't matter. So long as she got to participate in the final fight, it didn't concern her what the others decided to do. As she slowly dragged her paws forward at the speed of the moving crowd, she began to hear Hunter's voice. As the four drew closer to the alleyway entrance, his yowls became more comprehensible.

"Welcome! Everyone, watch your step and no pushing. We don't need anyone getting stepped on. All those participating in tomorrow's training, please head past Bonehill with the others. The rest of you stay near the wall opposite of me to make room for those passing. Please wait until everyone's inside for further instruction," Hunter repeated those words over and over as more cats began to enter the alleyway.

As Shenzi and the others finally managed to reach the entrance, she noticed there were two outsiders on either side. They were standing by very tall, metal gates. The gates were about six cat lengths tall, and Shenzi noticed the yellow ribbons that had been at the entrance during her first visit here were no longer there. _Hunter must've had them removed so that the crowd could get in easier_ , Shenzi thought as she and her brothers and Beast finally set paw into the alleyway.

Even more outsiders than there were outside were in the alleyway. They were mingling with each other, excitement and curiosity clear in their expressions and in their voices. There weren't so many cats that everyone was squished together like outside, as there was more room within the alleyway itself. Through the cats, Shenzi could make out the Bonehill. She saw Hunter sitting on top, still repeating the same phrases as before. Killer was a tail length away from him, sitting at the base and watching the crowd expressionlessly.

"Well I guess I'll see you three later. Stay together, and don't go poking around in any places you know you shouldn't be," Beast growled to the three once they were far inside, jolting Shenzi out of her observations.

Shenzi looked over her shoulder at the older tom. "Don't worry we won't. We'll see you later, okay?" she promised.

"Yeah and we'll be sure to visit and tell you how our progress is coming along," Banzai meowed after her. He turned around and touched his nose to Beast's shoulder in farewell. Ed padded up behind Banzai and said farewell in the same manner.

Beast blinked in surprise, as if he hadn't expected such a compassionate gesture when they'd only be apart for such a short time. Shenzi thought she noticed discomfort in his eyes, as if he wasn't used to this, but it vanished before she could be sure. The large tom bent his head down reluctantly and licked Shenzi's brothers between the ears. "See you later," he murmured as he lifted his head back up. Beast glanced at Shenzi, looking a bit awkward.

Shenzi had turned around to face Beast. She could sense his awkwardness, and wasn't surprised by it. She had always sensed their relationship wasn't the best. Beast had always seemed closer to Banzai and Ed, not only because they were all toms, but they were all the same breed as well. Even though at times Beast did sincerely act as if he cared for them all equally, Shenzi sometimes felt like the runt of the group, simply because she wasn't like them. She twitched her ears, then dipped her head in farewell to her caretaker. _There's no point in getting close to him anyways. He's not going to be with my brothers and me forever_ , she thought to reassure herself that her actions were appropriate.

Beast stared at her for a heartbeat, and Shenzi thought she saw hurt in his eyes, but it was gone before she could clarify. He then responded in the same gesture and disappeared into the crowd of cats to his designated area.

Banzai and Ed had returned to Shenzi's side when the last of the outsiders had made it into the alleyway. Shenzi looked up at Hunter and sat where she was, waiting for him to give the next order now that everyone was inside.

The leader of the outsiders had his eyes on the entrance to the alleyway. He rose to his paws but remained on Bonehill. "Is that everyone? Can you see anyone still trying to get here early?" Hunter called to the two toms who were by the gates.

One of the toms padded away from his post and outside the alleyway. He glanced in both directions, and then perked up his ears, listening for the sounds of any cats approaching. The tom blinked, then turned to face Hunter. "I don't see any—"

"Wait for us!" Shenzi heard the voice far outside the alleyway, interrupting the tom's reply. Not even a heartbeat later, a lithe she-cat bounded right up to the entrance to the alleyway. She was panting heavily from her sprint and she slumped down onto her hindquarters in exhaustion. "Sorry we're late," she meowed to the tom in between pants.

The tom twitched his whiskers, then looked at the she-cat in confusion. "We?"

"When will you learn to slow down?! I'm dyin' over here!" A tom was dragging his paws over to the alleyway. He looked even more exhausted than the first arrival. He padded father inside the alleyway than his companion, then slumped onto his belly in fatigue.

The she-cat rose to her paws and padded next her companion and nudged him roughly. "If it weren't for me, we wouldn't have made it! They were about to shut the gates on us!" she growled and shook her head in disapproval.

Hunter's tail was twitching with impatience. "If you're hunting, go over there. If you're training, go over there," he meowed, pointing with his tail to the designated areas. Without waiting for a response, he looked at the tom once more. "Anyone else?"

The tom shook his head after checking once more. The she-cat had padded away towards the crowd that was training, while her companion headed over to the cats who were hunting. Though the she-cat seemed to have regained herself, he was still panting, even now.

"Then close the gates. If anyone else shows up, tell them to come back tomorrow morning. That's when we'll be expecting others anyways," Hunter ordered.

The two toms nodded and each went to one of the gates. Some other outsiders came to their sides and helped them close the gates. Slowly but surely, they managed to push the silver gates into place, a loud and eerie creak echoing in the process.

Meanwhile, all the outsiders were gazing up at Hunter, their ears perked as they waited for their leader to speak. The air in the alleyway held all their excitement and slight impatience. In the crowd, they fought to sit still and remain silent, the quiet air only pierced by the occasional sneeze or sound of someone shifting to make room in the tight audience.

Hunter gazed down at them and gave a faint smile, but it vanished quickly. "Thank you all for coming today. Your willingness to show up early might just be a sign that you really are determined to give it your all during these next few moons of training," he started, speaking loud and clear.

 _Moons?_ Shenzi thought uncertainly. _Wouldn't that be a little too long? The strays will be killing outsiders while we're here._ She was jolted out of her thoughts when she felt someone squeeze in between her and Ed. She glanced to her side to find the she-cat who had arrived late staring at her with friendly eyes.

"Mind if I sit here?" she whispered with a smile. Behind her, Ed didn't seem to mind, as his expression was still a goofy grin with his tongue lolling.

Shenzi blinked, then shrugged. "Sure," she said with a nod before turning her attention back to Hunter, who had started to speak again.

"This evening, you all get first pick at where you want to sleep. All of you who are going to train, farther down into the alley you'll find a big tent that we've set up for you all to stay. It'll keep you dry if it rains, and just outside the entrance to it there's a large heap of feathers and old soft things Twolegs have thrown away. You can use that to make your nests. Those of you hunting, if you look just behind you there will be a large pipe. Just through there will be a small closed off area where you will have the same materials to make your own nests. The buildings and their overhangs provide the same protection as the tent. You'll all want to get to bed early, as tomorrow the training will start at sunhigh, once everyone who arrives knows what to do. We'll explain everything about the training session tomorrow. Now off you all go. If you get hungry, you're welcome to search around for some rats near the dumpsters. Even though the area's full of cats, they're too stupid to find somewhere else to stay," Hunter explained, finishing off with a chuckle. He lifted his tail and waved it, dismissing everyone to their areas. He leaped down from Bonehill and disappeared behind one of the large trash cans, Killer close behind.

The moment Hunter had dismissed them all, the alleyway became noisy with chatter. Excited and nervous mews were mingled together. Shenzi couldn't make out anything the others were saying as she padded with the crowd towards the big tent Hunter had mentioned. She felt the she-cat from earlier padding on her right side, while Shenzi's brothers were on her other side.

"I'm Rapida," the she-cat introduced herself, meowing loudly so Shenzi could hear her above the noise. "I've heard about you; you're the house cat that gave up her life in a home to be with her brothers. You're real famous around the city, and the fact that you came to the training session as well certainly caused rumors to spread. You don't have to worry about me though; I think you have every right to be here just as much as any cat. You've proven you can survive as long as any of us, so why not come? Anyways, I'm talking up a storm over here. What's your name?" Rapida meowed, glancing at Shenzi as the big tent came into view.

Shenzi blinked at Rapida for a moment, confused by the term "city" that she had used. However, she didn't question it and merely grinned. "I'm Shenzi, and these are my brothers Banzai and Ed," she replied cheerfully, pointing with her tail to the toms as she introduced them.

"Hiya!" Banzai meowed with a friendly wave of his tail, while Ed barked his greeting to her.

"Pleasure to meet you all!" Rapida said in a friendly tone. "The tom that came in with me earlier is my brother, Glaze. He won't be training with us because he doesn't have the energy to, unlike me!" she boasted a bit in her explanation, puffing out her chest slightly. "You don't mind me making my nest near you guys' do ya?" she asked as the four approached the tent.

"No, not at all. It would be fine with us, right guys?" Shenzi answered, glancing at her brothers. The two nodded their approval to the idea as the group made their way to a pile of feathers and Twoleg cloths.

"Wow! This stuff is super soft!" Rapida exclaimed as she examined a piece of a Twoleg pelt. It was white and looked like fur; the perfect material for a nest. The she cat dragged that piece off the pile and poked her nose around to look for more things to line her nest with.

As Shenzi picked out some old Twoleg blanket pieces from the pile, she felt someone nudge her shoulder. A bundle of feathers in her jaws, Shenzi turned her head around to face Banzai.

"Ed and I are going to go inside the tent and find spots for us. Mind getting enough lining for the three of us?" Banzai asked, while Ed was standing by the entrance to the tent where he waited.

Shenzi nodded, unable to speak because of her bundle, only to get a feather stuck in her throat. She coughed suddenly, spewing the feathers she had in her jaws onto Banzai and herself. One of the stray feathers landed on her nose, tickling it and causing her to sneeze. Shenzi shook her pelt vigorously in an attempt to get the feathers off, muttering curses under her breath as she did so.

Banzai growled and shook his pelt in the same manner, though a few feathers still clung to his head and chest. "Thanks," he muttered, though he was smiling with amusement. The tom turned away and padded towards Ed, who was snickering quietly to himself.

Behind Shenzi, Rapida let out a _mrrow_ of amusement. "Did you at least get the feather out?" she asked, laughter clear in her voice.

Shenzi had turned back to the pile and was picking out more Twoleg things, placing them next to her in a pile of her own. "Yeah, I'm fine. It flew out the moment I coughed, luckily. Looks like I won't be picking anymore feathers for my nest," she chuckled at herself. Looking down at what she had already collected, Shenzi decided to take it to Banzai and Ed so they could start making the nests. Picking up the Twoleg cloths and other soft things, she made her way inside the tent, followed by Rapida.

Inside, outsiders were scattered around here and there, making their own nests and settling themselves in. The tent was made of a very large piece of Twoleg cloth that looked smooth and sleek, held up by several dumpsters, fire escapes, and trash cans. The ceiling was no more than three cat lengths or so from the ground. In the concrete floor, there were shallow scoops where the ground had worn away. There were just enough of them and they were just big enough for all the outsiders to fit within, provided they squeeze close together.

"Over here!" Banzai called to Shenzi from where he and Ed sat next to two larger scoops in the ground.

Shenzi blinked and carried her bundle over to her brothers, stepping carefully through the other cats. Upon reaching them, she placed her bundle at Banzai's paws and lifted her head back up to face him. "I brought what I found so far. That way you could get started on the nests while I get some more material," she meowed to him.

"Okay. Ed and I found these scoops. We figured we can share them since we're small enough to fit, unlike the older cats. This way, there'll be more room for others," Banzai explained, pointing with his forepaw to the two shallow scoops he had picked out.

Rapida had padded up behind Shenzi and was placing what she had collected into one of the scoops. "I don't mind sharing a nest with Shenzi. You guys don't mind getting the rest of the material, do you? It'll save time, since I think Shenzi and I should go and find us all something to eat. We'll need all our strength tomorrow, after all," she meowed to the two toms.

Shenzi blinked at Rapida. "Neither do I. I think that sounds like a good idea. What do you think?" she asked, gazing at Banzai and Ed, waiting for their agreement.

"Sure, we can do that. Ed can start working on the nests while I get some more material. See you guys soon then?" Banzai meowed, rising to his paws.

"See you soon," Shenzi murmured and touched her nose to her brother's shoulder before padding after Rapida, who had already begun to make her way back outside. The two she cats fell in step next to each other as they padded past the tent and over to the dumpsters.

"You know, Shenzi, I think you and I are going to be great friends. Wouldn't you agree?" Rapida meowed suddenly, gazing at the Siamese she-cat, her blazing, amber stare so intense that it felt like it was boring into her.

Shenzi blinked at her, slightly surprised by the emotion she saw in the depths of her eyes. She gave her head a slight shake to help her ignore it, then gazed back at Rapida, her eyes friendly and warm. "I think so, too," she smiled as the two padded to one of the dumpsters in search of prey.


	9. Chapter Seven

"Rise and shine sleepy head! Today's the big day!" Rapida's meow echoed into Shenzi's mind, disturbing her dreamless sleep. Blinking her eyes open in confusion, she felt the weight of another cat on top of her flank. She lifted her head and looked at her surroundings in a blurred gaze. As her vision began to clear, she saw the outsiders in the tent were starting to awake, though some were still fast asleep. Sunlight streamed inside through the entrance, causing the cats nearest to the opening to stir. Shenzi turned her attention to the weight on her flank and saw the upper half of Rapida, her amber eyes staring at her with excitement. "C'mon! We have to get something to eat before the others arrive," Rapida pestered, nudging the Siamese she-cat roughly with her forepaws.

Shenzi let out a yawn, followed by a grumble. "We could've slept for a while longer you know. The training doesn't start until sunhigh," she muttered, feeling her head subconsciously lay back down in her nest to get some more sleep.

"Yes, but we don't want to look like we've just woken up. If we get up now, the cool breeze and the sunlight will wake us up, as well as the meal we'll catch. By the time the training starts, we'll be ready to go!" Rapida insisted, nudging Shenzi more roughly than before to ensure she didn't fall back asleep.

"Alright, alright!" Shenzi snapped as she was shook again. "Now, if you want me to get up, you'll have to get off me first!" she growled good-heartedly, batting at Rapida's ears with her forepaws.

Rapida chuckled and dragged herself off of the Siamese she-cat. She rose to her paws and stretched each of her limbs individually, waiting for Shenzi to rise as well.

Shenzi let out a long, loud yawn. Still drowsy, she rose to her paws and stretched. Her forepaws stretched out in front of her and her back arched, her tail curling over to touch her spine. With another yawn, she shook her pelt a few times before standing straight again, licking her lips. "Should we wake Banzai and Ed too?" she asked, turning her head to face Rapida.

"Well, I suppose they'd need to stretch their muscles too before the training," Rapida meowed, then without waiting for Shenzi's response, she pounced onto the two sleeping heaps of gray fur. "Wake up!" she yowled in their ears.

"Mrrow!" Banzai yelped as he was awoken from his slumber in one of the worst ways. He looked around frantically, panting in shock and confusion. Next to him Ed had the same expression on his face, except he was more alert and his teeth were bared, as if he were looking for the animal that had 'attacked' him.

"C'mon guys, we're going hunting!" Rapida meowed to them, leaping back so the two toms could get to their paws.

"What? Rapida! You nearly scared me half to death! You can't just wake someone up like that!" Banzai hissed to her between pants once he had turned to face her.

"Aw, don't be cranky! I only wanted to make sure you didn't go back to sleep like Shenzi did when I woke her up in a calm manner," Rapida snorted in her defense before looking at Banzai with an innocent expression.

"Well, you did a good job. After that experience, I'm pretty sure I'll have insomnia for moons," Banzai grumbled, rising to his paws and giving his pelt a few shakes to clear it from the shock. Ed repeated the same process, but unlike Banzai, his expression went back to happy-go-lucky within a few heartbeats.

"Well, now that we're all awake, let's get going!" Rapida purred and bounded away to the entrance of the tent, leaping delicately around the other sleeping bodies as to not disturb them.

Shenzi and her brothers followed after her more carefully and slowly. When they had finally reached the entrance, Rapida was already in the alleyway that they had hunted in the previous evening. Shenzi sighed good-heartedly as she watched the slim she-cat stalk around the dumpsters, searching for prey. _Good grief, what am I going to do with someone with that much energy?_

Shenzi and Rapida shared a large rat several tail lengths away from the tent. Banzai and Ed were next to them, sharing the same kind of rodent as well. Cats were filing inside the main alleyway at a steady pace through the gates. As Shenzi swallowed a mouthful of prey, she noticed there weren't as nearly as many cats as yesterday, and they arrived in different spurts; not all at once like the day before.

Hunter was meowing to cats who were arriving. He was sitting near the foot of the Bonehill, speaking to the groups up close and explaining to them what was to be done. He was too far away for Shenzi to make out words, but she predicted he was explaining to them where they would be sleeping and other things of the sort.

Their prey soon finished, Shenzi and the others began to groom their pelts. She wanted to look presentable when the training session began. _It won't be long now_ , she thought as she flattened the fur on her shoulder with her tongue. The sun was close to its highest point, and the other outsiders were already awake, chatting amongst each other while they ate as well.

As Shenzi's tongue rasped over the last burr at the base of her tail, she heard pawsteps approaching. Looking up, she saw Killer padding towards the clustered outsiders. His expression was the same as always when he spoke. "Attention please!" he yowled over the voices of the others. As soon as the cats' voices became hushed, he continued. "Hunter wants all of you to line up in rows where you were gathered yesterday. He wants this to look organized, not like a giant crowd of cats. I can only hope you can figure out how to do that on your own," he growled to them. When all the outsiders listening to him didn't move, Killer rolled his eyes. "Don't all of you jump at once," he meowed sarcastically before turning away.

Rapida immediately leaped to her paws, her tail waving back and forth in excitement. "C'mon guys! Let's get the front row started!" she meowed to Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed. Without waiting for their reply, the grey she-cat ran off, bounding ahead of Killer. She halted in front of the Bonehill, and then backed up a few steps so she wasn't so close.

Banzai had risen to his paws and was making his way after the she-cat when Shenzi had turned her attention back to him. Ed leaped to his paws and bounded after his brother.

Shenzi blinked and rose to her paws as well, racing up to Banzai's side. "She sure is energetic, isn't she?" she purred in amusement as she fell into step with her brother.

"More like _always_ full of life. I don't think she ever slows down, even in her sleep. We haven't even known her for a full day yet and I already have a feeling she'll surpass us all in the training," Banzai muttered, but Shenzi saw the gleam in his eyes that showed he wasn't truly bothered by Rapida.

Before Shenzi could reply, Rapida came into earshot. She didn't want it to seem like the three were talking behind her back, so she just let the conversation end there. The trio sat down in the front row they had created, spacing themselves out a bit so they were more organized rather than clustered.

After several heartbeats, the other outsiders that had chosen to train had made more rows behind the front one, as well as joining the front row Shenzi and her friends had created. She glanced back to inspect the gathered cats, examining how presentable they looked. For the most part, they appeared to be rather organized. The cats were chatting to the others around them while sitting in their spots, waiting for their leader to speak to them. The other outsiders who had arrived today joined their specific locations as well. Shenzi stretched her neck to look over the heads of other cats so she could search for Beast and the other hunters. Almost immediately she spotted them all sitting in front of the large pipe that led to their sleeping area.

The rattle of bones drew Shenzi's attention back to the Bonehill, where she saw Hunter dragging himself up to the peak. Killer, to her surprise, was staying near the foot of the hill. _That's odd. He normally sits near the base…_ she thought in confusion, then dismissed her bewilderment with a flick of her ear. She looked up at her leader, waiting for him to speak.

"Hello again, my fellow outsiders," Hunter started, his meow casual yet still carrying his usual tone of authority. "As you know, today is the day we start our training. Don't get too excited now, as this may be the first and last day for some of you. Killer will be observing the progress of you all, along with myself. I cannot monitor everyone, so he shall be assisting me with that. If he spots any cats falling behind, he will point my attention to them, and that will most likely mean that they will be moved to the hunters group in the evening. Every day, after we complete the training, cats will be moved; do not doubt that. That is because only the best of the best have a chance against these stray dogs. If you are one of the unlucky cats that has to move, you will have to wake at early dawn the next morning and move your nest to the hunters' area. Now, you may be thinking, 'why do we need so many hunters?' There are two reasons for that. First, it is safer for us to stick together in groups if we leave this alleyway, as there will be less of a chance we shall get attacked by the strays. We've had some others observe, and the strays seem to target groups of four or less. Second is that those who manage to stay in the training group until the very end will need as much strength as they can get, so they will need lots of food, which will require more hunters. Any who, I've rambled on for quite a bit now. Killer will now be going to explain the procedures to the hunters, as he will be in charge of organizing the hunting parties. I'll be speaking to the rest of you on how the training sessions are going to work around here," he finished, flicking his tail to signal for his second-in-command to do as instructed.

Killer flicked his ears and rose to his paws, his expression still the same as always. He padded around the group of training cats and over to the outsiders who were sitting in front of the large pipe.

Once Killer was at his designated area, Hunter leaped down from the Bonehill and onto the concrete ground. He was only a few whiskers away from the front row. His expression was suddenly strict and disapproving. He stared at the cats in front of him with an intense gaze that was soul piercing.

Shenzi felt intimidated by Hunter's stare, and she could sense the others around her felt it too. The air around them became tense and still and every cat remained so silent that Killer's instructions to the hunters could be heard clearly. All the outsiders sat tall and static, not wanting to do something to provoke their leader. Shenzi did the same, staring straight ahead.

Hunter prowled back and forth in front of the group, inspecting them carefully and silently, his eyes narrowed. He would pause in front every cat in the front row and look them over quickly before moving onto the next.

When Hunter reached Shenzi to inspect her, the Siamese she-cat kept her gaze forward, focusing on the Bonehill. She didn't dare move or even glance at the leader, as she wasn't sure what his actions would be. Even though he only looked her over for a few heartbeats, it felt like moons until Hunter finally moved onto Rapida.

Shenzi dared to side-glance at her friend as she was inspected. To her surprise, Rapida's expression was different from the others. Although she also stared ahead and sat still, her eyes gleamed with determination and ambition, and she let her tail wave every so often. However, she didn't react as Hunter inspected her or when he moved on to the next cat. Shenzi simply turned her attention back to the Bonehill while she waited for Hunter to finish inspecting the cats in the first row.

After several heartbeats, Hunter returned to the center front of the group. He sat at the foot of the Bonehill, his gaze wandering over all the cats. "Let's get down to why you're all here—to train and defeat the strays," he started loudly and clearly, his voice echoing throughout the alleyway. "From what I can see here, you may be the first, but you're also the saddest bunch I've ever met. However, if you're lucky enough, you can be sure that before we're done here, I'll make you into real fighters," he meowed, his eyes gleaming with determination. Hunter rose to his paws once more and began to pace in front of the first row as he continued to speak. "The training will be difficult and vigorous. You will be expected to wake at dawn every morning and to be ready for the next session. If I didn't think you could handle that, you might just be moved tonight. Hopefully none of you have to go through that, but we'll see. The training will stop once it is close to sunset. We will return here, and every cat will eat their fill of prey. While that is happening, Killer and I will be discussing who we think needs to be moved. Remember, there is no shame in that. We only accept the best because we don't want our fellow outsiders to die when that can be prevented. Now, every day starting tomorrow, the sessions will get harder and harder. Today, right now actually, we will be performing a special training session. It will be a test to see where I should start in difficulty for future sessions," Hunter explained, pausing as he saw Killer pad back towards him. "Perfect timing," he meowed in approval, dipping his head to the dark grey tom. "Everyone, follow us down the alleyway. We shall be taking you to your first and most difficult training session."

Shenzi stared up at the telephone pole that loomed in front of her. It was as tall as the buildings around it, and it was so high that the sun was hidden by its glory. Shenzi's eyes wavered down the pole until they halted at the bottom, where a white, squishy-looking Twoleg material lay. It stretched out about two tail lengths away from the pole, the stuff evenly spread out around the entire circumference of the pole.

Hunter and Killer sat side by side, a few tail lengths to the left of the pole, facing the rows of cats. At Hunter's paws was a gigantic dead rat—it must've been as big as a six moon old cat, if not bigger. "Your first test is simple, but also the most difficult," the leader started, one of his paws placed on the flank of the rat. "As you can see here, I have with me a dead rat. It's seasons upon seasons old, and by now it would've been crowfood. However, its death was caused by falling into a puddle of strange Twoleg acid. It kept the rat's body intact, and since we can't eat it, we use the rat as part of our test. Now, over here," he continued, pointing with his tail to the pole, "is where the rat's importance comes in. The task is simple-place the rat at the top of the pole, along with you. The white stuff you see at the base is called a mattress. Twolegs usually sleep on it in their nests, but this one was thrown away. Nonetheless, it is still soft and fluffy. It will break your fall when you make a mistake on your way up. Now, do we have any volunteers?" he finished, gazing around at the group.

All the trainees glanced at each other reluctantly, wondering which of them would be daring enough to go first. It was obvious none of them thought it would be an easy task, so they were all waiting for someone else to go first and try it before they did. After several heartbeats, some whispers and mutters could be heard among them, but still no one would volunteer.

Hunter's tail twitched in exasperation. "If no one volunteers, I'll just start picking you out. You're all going to have to do this, that is, if you want to go up against the strays. If you can't complete this task, how are you going to get through the future ones?" he snapped at them, glaring at the group.

Suddenly, not even a heartbeat after Hunter had finished speaking, Ed bounced up, his tongue lolling. He barked and bounded over to Hunter, retrieving the rat from his paws. He picked up the dead body in his jaws, and immediately the rat was as heavy as it looked. Ed's shoulders hunched as he pulled the rat off the ground slowly. He only managed to lift it about half a whisker above the ground as he carried it over to the pole.

Shenzi noticed Hunter was staring at her brother with sympathy, which was strange for how the leader normally acted. _He must think that Ed won't last very long in the training because of his disabilities…But that isn't fair! Even though he can't speak, he still has the ability to fight!_ she thought, her tail tip twitching a bit in irritation.

By now Ed was at the foot of the pole, his paws sinking into the mattress. He stared up the pole with wide eyes, and Shenzi thought she saw him gulp before he made his first move to climb. The grey tom examined the first few tail lengths up, searching for a place to put his paws. After another heartbeat, Ed used all his strength to lift the rat into the air as he pounced on the pole, digging his claws into the wood. He dragged himself upward about a tail length, and Shenzi could see that his muscles were tense. Not long after, Ed couldn't keep himself up any longer. His claws still digging into the wood, he slid back down onto the mattress, getting wood shavings in between his toes and claws. He dropped the rat onto the mattress near the base before leaping away and padding back into the crowd, opening and closing his jaw to try and relieve it from the stiffness, his eyes narrowed as he did so. Regardless of his failure, like always, he still carried a cheerful expression.

Hunter blinked at Ed as he padded away, his tail curled neatly over his paws. "Who's next?" he asked in a leveled voice, not making a single comment on Ed's progress.

Banzai rose to his paws as the question left Hunter's mouth. "I'll go," he meowed, his eyes gleaming with determination. The young tom bounded over to the pole, picking up the rat in his jaws just as his brother had done. He didn't have as much trouble as Ed had, but he was still doing a poor job. Banzai waggled his haunches before leaping up onto the pole, pulling himself upward as quickly as he could. However, the body of the rat slipped out of his jaws in his rush, rolling over Banzai's head and plummeting back down onto the mattress. A hiss of frustration emerged from his mouth as he launched himself off the pole and landed neatly on his paws on the mattress. The grey tom padded back to the group and sat back down next to his brother, his tail twitching in slight irritation.

Shenzi decided to volunteer next. _Might as well get it over with_ , she thought, rising to her paws quickly before someone else could volunteer, if anyone even wanted to after seeing her brothers both fail. "I'll go," Shenzi started, but found her words jumbled up with Rapida's.

"I want to go next," Rapida had meowed at the same time as Shenzi. She was also on her paws now, her paws shuffling as if she were impatiently waiting for Hunter to let her go.

The leader glanced at Shenzi, then Rapida, then back at Shenzi. "Let Shenzi go first, then you can go right after," he decided after a heartbeat, flicking his tail.

Rapida nodded, and obediently sat back down. Although she still looked raring to go next, she gave Shenzi an encouraging smile.

Shenzi blinked gratefully at the grey she-cat before taking a deep breath and striding over to the pole. It loomed in front of her like a tall brute, mocking her size. Shenzi took a couple more deep breaths to relax herself. _I'll be fine. If I fall, the mattress will be there, and I'm sure no one else will be able to do phenomenal on their first try_ , she thought before giving her pelt a shake and bending down to pick up the rat in her jaws. She braced herself for the weight of the rat to be excruciating as she lifted it off the ground. To her surprise, although the rat definitely was heavy, it wasn't as bad she thought it would be. Carrying it over to the foot of the pole, Shenzi leaped up and dug her claws into wood.

Shenzi narrowed her eyes against the sunlight and snorted a few times, the rat's body blocking her nostrils and making it difficult to breathe. The Siamese she-cat hauled herself up a few tail lengths, slowly but surely. Although the task wasn't as hard as she thought it would be, the rat was making it much more difficult. It kept draining her energy, hurting her neck, and preventing her from getting deeper breaths in. After heaving herself upward about another tail length, Shenzi noticed that the wood was getting sleek, and harder to get a grip on. She tried to look for another place to put her paws, but the rat was obscuring her vision. She could only rely on her sense of touch. Feeling her way upward, Shenzi searched for somewhere else to put her paws. Suddenly, Shenzi's forepaws slid forward and into the air. She yelped through the fur of the rat as she fell backwards, landing on her rump and onto the mattress, the rat still held in her jaws.

Shenzi flicked her tail in frustration. Rising to her paws and placing the rat back next to the pole, she glanced down at her pads. They were glistening, and felt oily. Looking back up the pole, she saw that about seven tail lengths up, the pole glistened in the sunlight, as if it were coated with something slippery. _That's odd_ , she thought as she made her way back next to Rapida, sitting back down in her spot.

Rapida was staring at Shenzi with wide, impressed eyes. "You did great! You made it way higher than your brothers. I bet you're going to be the best out of us all," she purred, rising to her paws and leaving Shenzi's side before she could respond. She strode confidently over to the pole, picking up the rat in her jaws as if it were nothing. She then pounced up onto the pole, already a tail length above the ground. Swiftly, she pulled herself upward another few tail lengths, as if the task wasn't difficult whatsoever.

Shenzi gaped up at Rapida as she climbed the pole as quick as the speed of a monster. Her eyes were wide in shock. _She said_ I _did great! She's doing way better than anyone else could do on their first try!_ She watched as Rapida reached the part where Shenzi had stopped, where the pole was sleek. Now Shenzi noticed that a whisker above that area, silver metallic-like sticks were sticking out of the pole. If Rapida could get past the sleek spot, she could continue on for as long as her strength would allow it. Shenzi observed as the grey she cat stretched her forepaw upward to reach the silver stick. Once she got a grip on it, she quickly heaved herself up so that her hindlegs wouldn't give out because of the slick texture.

Rapida heaved herself up the telephone pole quickly, but she was gradually slowing down. The rat was still grasped firmly in her jaws, however, and it didn't seem to be affecting her speed. She was nearly halfway up the pole by now, and even though she was too far away to tell her emotions, it was obvious from her posture that she was getting exhausted. Even Rapida had her restrictions, but the outsider pushed herself to her limits. Quickly searching for another place to put her paw, she heaved herself upward another whisker or two.

All the trainees were staring up at Rapida apprehensively, waiting to see what would happen next. Even Killer looked intrigued by her progress on her first try. Hunter, however, didn't even look fazed. He just stared up at her, his eyes narrowed emotionlessly.

Rapida's fame was short-lived, however. In her rush, her forepaw missed the next pawhold, and instead gripped empty air. She let out a yowl, letting the dead rat free from her jaws, sending it plummeting down onto the mattress below. Not even a heartbeat later, she clumsily fell backwards, staring in horror at the ground below her. Almost as quickly as it happened, Rapida landed roughly on her back and onto the mattress, bouncing once until she was still. The mattress had spared her life, and she lay there winded, her sides heaving with effort as she breathed.

Murmurs of amazement and concern rose amongst the group, as if they couldn't believe what they had just witnessed. Killer's expression immediately went back to normal once he saw Rapida land, and he let out a small snort. Hunter's gaze was still blank, though his eyes were no longer narrowed. He didn't speak, but it was obvious from his posture that he was waiting for the next volunteer.

As Rapida padded slowly over to Shenzi and her brothers, limping slightly, the rest of the outsiders who hadn't gone lined up in front of the pole. It was if they suddenly got motivation from watching Rapida make so much progress on her first try.

Shenzi's eyes were gleaming and her tail was waving, hardly able to wait for Rapida to reach her. Her excitement faded slightly when she saw her limp, but it still lingered inside her. "Are you okay?" she asked when Rapida approached her, concern in her tone, but also exhilaration as she was unable to hide it.

"I'm fine," Rapida insisted, her eyes gleaming triumphantly. "I'm just a little roughed up because of the fall, but I'll be fine once everyone else goes," she meowed, sitting down next to Shenzi.

"You did great! I was so in awe, I knew you had lots of energy, but I didn't think anyone could be _that_ good!" Shenzi's praise poured out of her so quickly that her words were jumbled together.

However, Rapida didn't acknowledge Shenzi's words. She was staring down her paws, as if deep in thought. She didn't seem to be paying attention to her friend or any of her surroundings.

Shenzi blinked and nudged Rapida's shoulder with her forepaw. "Hey, is something wrong?" she asked, wondering if Rapida's fall had hurt her more than the she cat had let on.

Rapida blinked in confusion and looked at Shenzi. "What? Oh, sorry," she meowed, as if she just realized the she-cat was talking to her. "It's just, you know where I fell off right?" she asked, still looking thoughtful.

Shenzi stared at her friend in bewilderment. "Yeah, why?" she asked, suddenly curious about what Rapida was getting at.

"Well, I fell off because there was nowhere else to put my paws. There were no more silver sticks, and the wood above me was sleek. I don't see how any cat would be able to continue onward—it just seemed impossible. Maybe I imagined it because I was rushing, but even then I still knew where to put my paws. Well, it doesn't matter now. It's over, and it looks like it's time for our next session," Rapida started out in confusion, then lifted her gaze as she finished.

Shenzi blinked at her friend. _Weird, I wonder if what Rapida says is true. If it is, why would Hunter give us an impossible challenge?_ Shenzi thought, looking up just as Rapida had. The group of cats had all went by the time Rapida and Shenzi had finished speaking. By the looks on their faces, it was obvious none of them had made it as far as Rapida, but it could be possible that they made it as far as Shenzi had, as some of them didn't look as disappointed as others. They all went back to their original spots, sitting in organized rows once more.

Once the trainees had settled down, Hunter rose to his paws, his gaze wandering over the entire group. After a few heartbeats, his only words were, "We have a long way to go." With that, he padded through the middle of the group, Killer close behind. The leader flicked his tail, indicating for them to follow.

Shenzi rose to her paws and followed behind Rapida in a straight line, Banzai and Ed following behind her. Her paws tingled with excitement and apprehension, and she could barely keep herself from running on ahead, even though she had no idea where Hunter was taking them. _I can't wait to see what Hunter will have in store for us next!_


	10. Chapter Eight

The river swiftly ran by, its water supply never-ending. The bank was only a tail length away from the first row of trainees. In front of them stood Hunter, who was only a whisker away from the bank. Killer sat on the left side of the group, watching his leader while occasionally surveying the assembly.

Shenzi stared past Hunter at the water, recalling the river she had seen near Witch's den. _He won't expect us to swim across, will he?_ she wondered to herself, staring at the foam that formed as the water brushed by the reeds.

Hunter had led them all to the outskirts of the Large Twolegplace, except now it was on the opposite side. Witch's den and the bridge lay all the way on the other side of the large settlement. There wasn't even a road that led out of town—just a gap where the area wasn't as lively. They had traveled for quite a bit, making their way through the "dangerous" part of town as cats know the Twolegs like to call it, where many of their buildings are abandoned or falling apart or both, and distant _booms_ could be heard, startling the group into picking up the pace after their leader. This area had also been known for an abundance of strays, so the group traveled quickly despite the distance, particularly when they could hear distant barks or howls. The river itself however wasn't as large as the one by Witch's den. It was about six dog lengths wide, and though the current was fast, it didn't look very deep.

"The objective of this training session is simple. Get across the river using the stepping stones," Hunter started, stepping aside and pointing with his tail to a pathway in the water made by jutting, flat rocks. The stones were broad enough for one cat to stand on, so long as their paws were close together. The space between each stone was about half a tail length.

Shenzi examined the stones that her leader expected to be used. The surface gleamed against the sunlight, which was at the halfway point between sunhigh and sunset. The river foamed as it hit the rocks, sending water spraying onto its exterior. The she-cat imagined her paws slipping off the sleek texture as she leaped onto it, sending her crashing into the roaring current.

"Now I know what some of you may be thinking. If your paws slip, you'll most likely fall into the water," Hunter continued, turning around to face the river. Unexpectedly, he stepped right into the water and all the way out next to the third stepping stone. Once there, he turned back around to face the trainees. "As you can see, the water isn't deep enough for you to drown," Hunter meowed. His belly fur was beginning to get damp from the rushing water. "The current isn't that strong either, so just take this as a lesson that looks can be deceiving. However, this isn't an invitation to think falling into the river is okay," he warned, narrowing his eyes as he began to make his way back to land. "Falling in will make it more likely for you to be removed from training. This isn't a training session on speed. It will test your timing, patience, and balance. Those strays may have strength, but they are boneheaded, and lack strategy and quick-thinking. If you can master this challenge, then you will have a good chance against those mutts," he finished with a smirk, pulling himself onto the riverbank. The grey tom gave his pelt a shake to get some of the water out before standing tall again.

"We will send a few of you out there at a time. Once the first cat makes it halfway, we'll send out the next one, and so on. Everyone will make it across, no matter how many times you fall into the water. You simply pull yourself back onto the rock and try again. The fewer times you fall in, the more likely you'll stay in training for another day. Now, who's up first?" Hunter asked, sitting to the side so the others could easily leap onto the stepping stones.

Murmurs rose amongst the group as they glanced at one another, seeing which one of them would take up the challenge first. It wasn't dangerous, but the cats were clearly all nervous about slipping into the water and getting kicked out of training later. After a few heartbeats, Shenzi shakily rose to her paws. "I'll go," she offered, and though her posture was strong, her voice was a bit shaky.

The group immediately fell silent, staring intently at the Siamese she-cat. It was obvious they would mimic her movements if she barely slipped, and do just the opposite if she fell into the water. Banzai and Ed gave their sister admiring looks, though she wasn't facing them. Rapida was simply staring at the lapping current of the water against the riverbank, her emotions hidden.

Shenzi took a deep breath before padding over to the riverbank, in front of the first stepping stone. Bunching up her muscles into her hindlegs, the she-cat leaped onto the rock's surface, unsheathing her claws in an attempt to get a grip on the slick surface. Upon landing, Shenzi brought her paws to the center and away from the round edges of the stone. Her belly fur was just barely brushing against the surface. She waited until she had recovered from her shaky landing before slowly rising to her paws and focusing on the next stone. Once more, Shenzi prepared to pounce, adjusting her footing in the small space she had. With that, the she-cat leaped out onto the next rock, her tail tip dipping into the river as she did so. Shenzi quickly tugged it out and lifted it up to help keep her steady.

The Siamese she-cat repeated the same process of bunching up her muscles, pouncing, and landing roughly but steady enough so that she didn't fall into the river. Now she was a stepping stone ahead of the halfway point. Shenzi glanced over her shoulder to see if Hunter had sent someone else out now. It turned out that Ed was already at the third stepping stone, progressing a bit more quickly than Shenzi had. However, his landings were more risky, as he almost slipped several times, barely stopping himself from plunging into the icy current.

Shenzi turned her attention back to the next stepping stone, ready to progress further. After all, she was being observed by Hunter and Killer—she didn't want to seem frightened by a little water. Performing the process over again, she bunched up her muscles and leaped onto the next stone. Shenzi continued onward for the next few stepping stones, and eventually the last stone was in front of her. After that, the river bank awaited her. _I've made it this far, the last leap shouldn't be too difficult_ , she thought, encouraging herself. Bunching up her muscles for the second to last time, Shenzi leaped onto the last stone. Unfortunately for her, this rock was sleeker than the others. Her forepaws slid forward and dipped into the river once she landed. Scrambling backwards, Shenzi placed her forepaws, now soaked, onto the stone. The sudden slip and cold touch had left the she-cat shaking in shock on the stone. Her belly was pressed flat against the surface and her tail flicked back and forth, still trying to calm down. Shenzi shook her head to clear it and took a deep breath. _You're nearly there. You need to show Hunter that you can recover quickly_ , she thought determinedly, slowly bringing herself upward. She made one last leap and landed onto the grass and reeds of the bank, relief flooding over her. She never thought she'd be so happy to see land.

Ed was already between the halfway point and the riverbank, continuing on determinedly. Just reaching the halfway stone was a trainee Shenzi didn't know personally, and just starting to make his way across the river was Banzai, who was progressing as quickly as his brother.

Sighing quietly to herself, Shenzi moved away from the stepping stone path. Glancing at her pelt, she noticed that is was slightly damp from the water spray. Deciding she would clean her coat later, a sudden thought came to mind. Seeing that the stepping stones were being used by the other trainees, how would she get back across?

As if she had spoken the thought aloud, Hunter padded away from the line of waiting cats and opposite of where Shenzi stood on the riverbank. "Just wade through the water to come back. It isn't too deep, like I said before, so you'll be fine!" the leader called the instructions over to her.

Nodding, Shenzi waded into the chilly water. As she slowly dragged her paws through the current, the water started to feel warmer, and so did her pelt. Though her fur was sodden, the sunlight was keeping her at content temperature as well. More and more cats were making their way across the stepping stones, each pair of eyes gleaming with determination. To her surprise, Shenzi didn't spot Rapida at all. Gazing back at the bank where trainees were waiting to go next, she spotted her friend sitting away from the group, staring at the water. She was still too far away to tell her emotions, but it was obvious something was wrong.

"Hey Rapida!" Shenzi called to her friend as she got closer to the bank, but the grey she-cat didn't respond. Her eyes were still fixed on the rushing water. Now that she was closer, Shenzi could see that she looked anxious. Rapida's claws were even digging into the ground as she sat stiffly, her neck fur bristling.

 _She's frozen! I've never seen her so uneasy before_ , Shenzi thought as she finally reached land. She pulled herself out of the water, shaking her pelt out so that droplets scattered around her. Deciding she would groom her clumped fur after she talked to Rapida, she padded over to the grey she-cat and sat down next to her. "Rapida?" she asked, tilting her head a bit as she turned to gaze at her.

Rapida jumped when Shenzi spoke, her fur fluffed out. "Oh, it's just you. Don't scare me like that!" she hissed, sitting back down and licking her chest fur in embarrassment.

Shenzi stared at her in confusion. "But I was right in front of you when I came back from the other side of the river. How could you have not seen me?" she asked, beginning to feel worried.

Rapida blinked at her in surprise. "Y-You were? Great, not only am I a wimp, I'm absentminded too!" she scowled at herself, tearing at the grass with her paws.

"What are you talking about? If there's something wrong, just come out and say it. Maybe I can help, and getting it off your chest might make you feel better," Shenzi insisted, staring at Rapida's blazing amber eyes with her own pale yellow ones.

Rapida turned her head away from Shenzi so she wouldn't have to meet her gaze. "Alright, I'll tell you," she muttered in frustration, her tail twitching back and forth. "I'm afraid of water, because I can't swim. That's why I didn't volunteer to go first. I don't even want to go at all! I just know I'll freak out if I slip into the water, and embarrass myself in front of everyone," she confessed, staring at her paws now. Her toes had grass and soil stuck in between them now because of all her restless digging.

Shenzi rested her tail tip on Rapida's shoulder in sympathy. "We all have to face our fears eventually, Rapida. Today might be the day that you have to face yours. I know you can do it, especially since you're probably the most outgoing out of all of us. Don't let a little water make you quit. Your ambition will really get you far in Hunter's training; it's much too soon for you to give up," she reassured, giving her friend an encouraging smile.

"But what if Hunter expects me to pass this session with ease because of my progress when I climbed the pole?" Rapida countered, still looking as anxious as before.

"I'm sure Hunter knows that every cat has their own weaknesses. Besides, if you show him that you can overcome your fears, he'll see how strong you are both physically and mentally," Shenzi insisted. Gazing past Rapida, she saw that the line of cats only consisted of a few more, and many of the trainees had already waded back to riverbank where Shenzi and Rapida sat. If her friend was going to complete the session, she would have to decide soon. Shenzi gazed back at Rapida with a stern look. "At least try to complete the session. Even if you do terrible, no one can say that you gave up before you even tried."

Rapida blinked in surprise at Shenzi's tone. She was silent for a few heartbeats, but finally nodded her agreement. "You're right. There's no harm in trying, even if I do poorly. It'd be shameful to just quit," she meowed, rising to her paws. Taking a deep breath, she padded over to where only one other trainee was waiting to go next.

Shenzi let out a sigh of relief. Examining her friend's posture, she could tell that Rapida was still quite nervous, but at least she had gotten the courage to attempt the challenge. Hearing pawsteps behind her, Shenzi turned around to see her brothers approaching.

"You did great!" Banzai praised as he sat down next to his sister. He began to groom his pelt, picking out any debris that caught onto his fur when he waded through the river.

"Thanks, you did phenomenal as well. You too, Ed," Shenzi meowed, turning her head to face her other sibling, who sat on her other side. Seeing them both groom their pelts reminded Shenzi to clean her own. Picking out a few twigs and other small objects out of fur, she looked back at the river, searching for Rapida. The trainee that had been in front of her was just passing the halfway mark across the river. Looking back towards the shore, Shenzi spotted her friend on the first stone.

Rapida was clinging onto the rock as if her life depended on it. Her fur was bristling and her eyes were wide, but despite her frightened look, she wasn't frozen. Shakily, she leaped onto the next stepping stone, then to the next, and the one after that. It was still several heartbeats before she made it to the halfway point, but even though her pace was slow, she was making progress.

Shenzi tore her gaze away from Rapida to glance at Hunter and Killer. However, to both her relief and disappointment, the leader's expression was the same as it had been for the entire session. _At least he isn't looking at her with disapproval,_ she thought.

Eventually, Rapida made it to the last few stepping stones. Making the last few leaps slowly but surely, the grey she-cat landed on the opposite riverbank, panting with relief. It was short-lived, however, as now she had to wade back through the river.

Shenzi gazed at her friend in concern. She had managed to convince Rapida to use the stepping stones to get across and complete the challenge, but there was no way she could've persuaded her to actually get into the water. Several heartbeats passed, and Rapida just stared at the current from where she stood. Once, she attempted to wade into the water, only to withdraw right away. Shenzi thought she heard her say, "I can't do it!" but she was too far away to be sure.

The other trainees were starting to notice that the only cat left was Rapida. They muttered to each other impatiently, wanting to head back to the alleyway already as the sun began to disappear behind the horizon. It would start to get chilly, and with damp pelts some of the outsiders could catch colds.

Shenzi pondered what to do. Rapida had completed the session, so Hunter couldn't remove her from training if she got help afterwards. The grey she-cat could've originally just taken the stepping stones back, since she was the last cat to go, but it would've taken too long. Rising to her paws, Shenzi decided she would wade back across the river and escort Rapida back to the group. However, when she motioned to head towards the water, she was halted by a tail-Hunter's tail.

The leader didn't say anything; he only glanced back at Shenzi and shook his head slightly. With that, he padded away from the Siamese she-cat and headed over to the river himself. Murmurs and gasps of surprise erupted from the group as Hunter waded into the water and made his way to the other side in silence.

Shenzi couldn't help but stare at the scene with her jaw open. What was Hunter doing? _He never voluntarily does something like that…,_ she thought in bewilderment. Her leader normally seemed so silent and hard to approach about anything because of his intimidating looks and voice. Now, on the other hand, he was doing something so…considerate.

Hunter was already on the other side of the river now, but he remained in the water. He leaned close to Rapida's ear, and it looked as if he were saying something to her. He then backed up a bit and nodded to the she-cat.

Rapida kept her gaze down as she waded into the water hesitantly. She flinched as Hunter laid his tail over her shoulders and led her through the current. The two padded through the river side by side at a steady pace until they finally reached the riverbank, where every cat had their eyes glued on them. Rapida pulled herself onto the shore, water dripping from her pelt. She stared down at her paws emotionlessly, sitting where she was. She didn't even bother to shake some of the water out of her pelt.

Hunter pulled himself onto the shore after her, padding a few tail lengths away then shaking the water out of his fur. He waved his tail at the trainees, indicating for them to follow him. He padded back to Killer, preparing to lead the outsiders back to the alleyway.

Shenzi bounded over to Rapida, hoping her friend didn't feel embarrassed that Hunter went to fetch her. "Rapida, we're heading back now," she whispered, trying to sound casual.

To Shenzi's surprise, Rapida looked up at her with her normal, energetic gaze. "Okay!" she meowed, rising to her paws and shaking her pelt, scattering water droplets around her.

"Hey!" Shenzi yelped as she was hit by a few of the droplets, chuckling lightly. She let out a small sigh of relief to see that Rapida was back to her normal self. _Maybe she's just happy that the session's over with_ , she decided as she and Rapida raced to catch up with the group, who were already padding after Hunter and Killer back to their home.

Shenzi padded back into the alleyway with Rapida and her brothers after all the other trainees, sighing with relief to be done with the day's training. _It sure was intense for a first day…But I guess Hunter has to be tough from the start_ , she thought to herself. With a sudden jolt she remembered what the end of the day meant: elimination. One or more cats today would be removed from the training for poor performance and moved to the hunting group. She shuddered, hoping that neither she nor her companions would be the first ones out. They had all done decently at today's challenges, so hopefully everything worked out in their favor. Looking around the alleyway, the first thing Shenzi noticed was that there was a very large pile of rats and pigeons near the entrance to the hunters' tunnel. Next to it were several cats, including Beast and Glaze, waiting for the training cats to return.

Banzai and Ed quickly took a few steps towards the prey and their caretaker. "We'll see you later, okay Shenzi?" Banzai said quickly, glancing over his shoulder at his sister. Without waiting for an answer, he turned away and led Ed towards Beast. At once their mouths started moving as they began to speak about the day's training, their tails waving back and forth in delight and excitement.

Shenzi let out a sigh as she watched her brothers head off. Her earlier thoughts of her and Beast's rocky relationship returned, but were interrupted when she heard Rapida speaking to her.

"Hey Shenzi, why don't you join my brother and I for tonight's meal? I really want you two to get to know each other a bit more, since you are my friend after all," The grey she-cat asked with a smile, her tail waving as she waited for an answer.

"That sounds great! I think I saw him just over there by the pile, so let's grab something and a spot to eat then, shall we?" Shenzi held back a sigh of relief as she answered, glad she wouldn't have to eat alone nor would she have to deal with the awkwardness of eating with Beast.

The two friends headed over to the large pile, squeezing through the other outsiders that crowded around it, chatting about the day's training and hunting as they picked something to eat and went off somewhere else to make room for the others that still wanted a meal. When it was finally their turn to pick, they decided to share a rather large rat, and carried it over to where Glaze sat away from the pile now, towards the Bonehill and some trash bins.

Glaze dipped his head in greeting to the two she-cats as they approached, licking his lips after finishing a small pigeon, the extra bones and feathers scattered around his forepaws. "How was your first day in training?" he asked casually, kicking away the remains from his meal.

"Oh it was great! I excelled pretty well in the first challenge, but not so much in the second…" Rapida's reply started off energetic, and then ended in disappointment and slight shame.

Glaze gave his sister a sympathetic purr before resting his tail tip on her shoulder. "Hey, where's your usual amount of enthusiasm? You win some and you lose some, remember? If you had seen the mistake I made while hunting today you probably wouldn't feel as bad. I was stalking a pigeon by some dumpsters, when I accidentally bumped into one of them and knocked it over. Not only did I scare the bird away, but I was covered in garbage! I had to head over to the nearest stream to get myself clean, but I still stink. The others said I had better groom my pelt before turning in for the night," he laughed, recalling his earlier error.

Rapida couldn't help but burst out laughing as she settled down to start digging into her own meal. "Oh, I can just imagine it! You're still as clumsy as ever I see," she purred in amusement, taking a huge bite out of the rat and gulping it down.

Shenzi chuckled at the story, also settling down next to Rapida to eat her share of the rat. It comforted her to see such a compatible pair of siblings, much like her own trio. _But they chose to eat with Beast instead of me...,_ she thought with a frown, only to shake her head to clear it of those thoughts when this was a time to share tongues and enjoy the company of her species after a long day's training. "So do any of us know when or how Hunter and Killer are going announce the ones who get kicked out of training?" she asked as she glanced between the duo.

"Well, looks like you're about to find out," Glaze answered, pointing with his tail to where Hunter and Killer were huddled together, looking as if they were in deep conversation. On occasion they would glance out at some of the trainees, and then return to their discussion.

Shenzi felt as if her pelt was covered in fleas. Her body itched with anxiety and anticipation. _They could be talking about us right now…_ , she thought with a shudder, gulping down the mouthful she was eating.

Hunter and Killer suddenly rose to their paws, both of their expressions blank, not giving anything away. However, they did not leap up onto the Bonehill to make the announcement. They instead padded between the huddled groups of cats, causing the ones around them to turn and face the leader and second-in-command. The two halted next to a group of trainees and began speaking to them, far too quietly for Shenzi to hear from this distance. After several heartbeats, Hunter lifted his head up and dipped it in farewell to them before moving onto a different group and repeating the same procedure.

Shenzi blinked, surprised by her leader's motives. _Maybe he's being considerate to the cats being moved. He doesn't want them to feel embarrassed, so he isn't make a big announcement about it_ , she thought as she watched the expressions of the cats Hunter and Killer passed. They looked relieved while the cats the duo stopped by looked utterly disappointed.

After several stops, Hunter was finally making his way over to where Glaze, Rapida, and Shenzi were sitting. _Oh no! One or both of us could be getting removed!_ she thought as she saw them approach, wanting to let out a wail of despair. However, as the two got closer, they padded right by the trio without any consideration that they were there and stopped by a group who was situated behind them.

Rapida leaned in to whisper into Shenzi's ear, her mew full of relief and delight. "We made it the first day! We didn't get removed!" she cheered quietly as she watched Hunter and Killer leave the last group and head back over to the Bonehill.

 _Yes, but how long will it be before we have those crestfallen looks on our own faces?_ Shenzi thought doubtfully as she watched her leader and his second-in-command vanish behind the Bonehill mysteriously as they always did.


	11. Chapter Nine

The rows of trainees sat on the sidewalk in the quieter part of town, sitting close together without much breathing room due to the fact that the street was only inches away from them. Though a group of cats would be suspicious even to the Twolegs who were used to the outsiders living amongst them, this part of the Twolegplace wasn't as busy as the others, making it rare for even one Twoleg to try and squeeze their way by through the huddled cats. Hunter sat at the very edge, next to a sleeping monster on the side of the street. Killer was once again sitting on the left side of the outsiders, eying them just as carefully as before.

"For our next session, you must remain focused and calm the entire time, or your life will be at risk. If you are to fight the dogs you must learn to never panic when facing possible death, because if you do, death will then become certain. I will demonstrate the next challenge before any of you volunteer so you know what to expect," Hunter started, his gaze wandering around the group. He then padded forward in front of the sleeping monster and peered past it, his ears perked. After a moment of waiting there, he leaped into the street and stood there for a moment, his eyes narrowed at an incoming monster. He then curled into a ball and flattened his body against the cement, as flat as he could be in that position, onto the street.

Gasp of shock emerged from the trainees as they watched the monster get ever closer to Hunter. Even as it bore down on him, he remained right in its path. _Is he insane?_ Shenzi shut her eyes as the monster drove right over her leader, not wanting to see him get crushed and killed. As she heard the monster drive away, she slowly opened her eyes, expecting to see Hunter's body laying motionless and battered on the street. However, much to her surprise and everyone else's, the outsider rose to his paws and casually padded back over to the sidewalk. He didn't look fazed in the slightest, not to mention there wasn't a single injury on his form.

"Now you see why it is so vital for you to stay calm in that situation. Thanks to our pelts, we blend in with the dark stone of the street. The monsters don't see us, and as long as you place yourself right in the center of the monster's path and flatten yourself, you shall complete the challenge without a scratch. Make a wrong move however, and your life may be at risk. If you cannot handle the possibility of death, you are not fit for the dog fight," Hunter explained with a snort and stepped to the side of the group. "Whoever is willing may go first; I shall not be picking you out, however, so the longer we wait the longer we must stay here."

The trainees looked at each other for a moment, unsure who would be willing to go first on this dangerous challenge. After several heartbeats, one cat rose from the group, determination gleaming in his eyes-Ed.

"Oh, he's dead meat," some cat muttered to another behind Shenzi. The Siamese she-cat held her tongue, resisting the urge to snap at whoever had dared to speak ill of him. She had her own worries about her brother anyways. Ed wasn't the most nimble of cats and she was afraid he might make a wrong move and end up getting crushed by the monster's paws. _Please let him do this properly_ , she silently pleaded, though she didn't know to whom.

Ed mimicked Hunter's moves, peering out around the sleeping monster, his ears perked. He stood still there for several heartbeats, until finally he stepped out into the street. He immediately flattened himself against the concrete, his tail pressed against his side and his ears flattened. The monster was finally in view and heading towards Shenzi's brother at a leisurely speed. It took no notice of him as it got ever closer, until finally it drove over him just like the other monster had done with Hunter. The other trainees were silent with apprehension as they watched Ed's body remain still. After a few moments, the tom's ears perked up and he rose to his paws. With that, he trotted back over the group in triumph, gaining a brief gaze of approval from Hunter, though it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared.

"Good job Ed!" Banzai murmured happily to his sibling, giving him a quick lick on the ear and waving his tail.

Shenzi purred in agreement before rising to her paws. Suddenly the dangerous task didn't seem as scary. _Time to show Hunter what I'm made of_ , she thought with a grin. Murmurs of admiration were still emerging from the group about Ed's performance, so no one had yet to volunteer. Taking up the opportunity, she stepped out onto the edge of the street and next to the sleeping monster. She perked her ears and listened intently for the rumble of a monster. By now the others had quieted down, thankfully. All was quiet for several heartbeats; Hunter wasn't kidding when he had mentioned that this part of town was hardly busy. Just as Shenzi's paws began to get sore from standing so long, she finally heard the faintest sound of a monster in the distance. Peering around the sleeping monster, she could see the gleam of its red shiny coat coming in this direction. The Siamese she-cat then padded out onto the street, taking a deep breath in the process. Imitating her brother and leader's movements, she placed herself in the center of the monster's path and flattened herself down as much as she could. Shenzi then flattened her ears against her head and curled her long tail around her body, closing her eyes so she wouldn't have to see the creature approach. The rumbling got louder as the monster got closer, until it felt as if it were all around her. After that moment, the rumbling started to fade behind her until she could no longer hear it. Slowly opening her eyes, she lifted her head up and looked around happily. She hadn't gotten hurt! Shenzi rose to her paws and ran back to the group. She was greeted by the same admiration her brother had gotten, making her want to burst with pride.

It was all uphill from there. Banzai and Rapida had performed remarkably well in their turns, and so did the trainees that went after them. It was a long process since no one could tell when the next monster would show up, but eventually the end got near. Only a few trainees remained now and they appeared to be the frightened ones, choosing to go last just as Rapida had done in the last session.

The first was shaking all over as he made his way over to the sleeping monster. It didn't take long for the next monster to appear, but the tom was hesitant to make his way onto the path. Once he finally made up his mind, the monster was much too close to get in the right position. However, the trainee didn't notice this and padded slowly in front of the incoming monster, inches away from getting crushed. He might not have made it if Hunter hadn't leaped in and tugged him back swiftly. Needless to say the tom got a glare from his leader and was forced to go back to the sidewalk without completing the challenge. _Rapida was lucky Hunter had been so gentle with her minor mistake_ , Shenzi thought silently as she continued to watch.

The last trainee was also frightened, but he at least made it onto the street and positioned himself. However, he had miscalculated the center of the monster, and instead was in front of the path of the monster's right paws. Hunter once again had to come to the rescue, pushing the tom forward so he was in the center and having to stay there himself since he had no time to go back to his spot.

After all that chaos was over, the two returned to the others and Hunter gave the group as a whole a nod of approval. It looked as if the leader was finally opening up to them, even if it was only a tiny bit. The large tom nodded to Killer and with that the two led the way back to the main alleyway. Shenzi smiled at Rapida, having much confidence that they would pass today's elimination. However, glancing back at the two frightened toms, she wished she could say the same for them.

"Made it again! Not that I had any doubts that we would," Rapida purred as she watched Hunter and Killer continue making their way through the eating cats, passing right by the trio once more.

Shenzi had once again joined Rapida and Glaze for the evening meal. She figured that since her brothers were always going to go with Beast, she might as well continue eating with Rapida and her brother. "I feel bad for those other guys though," she put in, speaking of the two panicky toms from before. She was fairly certain everyone who was training knew what fate would befall the duo, though. A few others had gotten removed as well, simply because they hadn't performed as confidently as the others, Shenzi guessed.

Glaze let out a yawn, licking his lips after finishing the small rat he had been eating. "The hunting hasn't gotten any harder, though it hasn't gotten easier either. At least I didn't make an embarrassing mistake like yesterday," he chuckled optimistically, grooming his forepaws once he had finished speaking.

"That's surprising," Rapida teased her brother, lightly nudging his shoulder. After purring for a moment, her amber gaze wandered towards Shenzi. "What do you think Hunter's next challenge will be?" she asked curiously with a tilt of her head.

Shenzi lifted her gaze from where she had been grooming, looking thoughtful. "Who knows? Everything he's done so far has been very creative-nothing any of us would've thought of. Whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it though," she purred confidently.

Rapida purred and nodded determinedly before roughly butting her head into her friend's shoulder. "Right!"


	12. Chapter Ten

A dark mist surrounded Shenzi, making it impossible to see anything more than two tail lengths in front of her. She looked around in confusion, squinting her eyes as she tried to peer through the void. _Where am I? How did I get here?_ she thought, completely baffled. All was ominously silent for several heartbeats, and even though she couldn't see or hear anyone, she felt as if she were being watched by a million different pairs of eyes. Something in the back of her mind told her to run, but when she attempted to do so her paws were glued to the ground. This caused the Siamese she-cat to panic and as she opened her jaws to call for help, no words would come out no matter how hard she tried. _What's going on?_

Suddenly out of the silence a shrill, single shriek was heard. Followed by it was the sound of a loud rumbling, causing the ground beneath Shenzi's paws to tremble. It got louder and shook the ground harder as it got closer. However, despite feeling as if someone or something was right next to her, she couldn't see anything. Shenzi felt chills go down her spine. She felt tormented, terrified, and haunted by this strange presence. Her paws still refused to move and her voice remained silenced.

 _Somebody, please, help!_ Shenzi pleaded in her mind as she felt the presence get closer to her. Her eyes widened and her jaws gaped in a silent wail of pain as she heard a loud _bam_ followed by a hole in her flank, blood pouring out. The pain was indescribable, nothing she had ever felt before, and it made her entire body ache. She felt herself begin to slip into unconsciousness as she lost blood from the strange wound and soon after her eyes fell upon complete darkness.

"Shenzi! Shenzi!" A voice sounded in the she-cat's ears and she felt something press down on where her wound had been, causing Shenzi to wail in agony. Suddenly, she was confused. She had managed to get a sound out of her, but how? Slowly, she opened her eyes to reveal her two brothers looking down at her, their eyes wide with concern. Turning her head, it had been Rapida's paw that was pressed on the wound, nudging her to try to get her to awaken.

"Are you okay? You were kicking and screaming in your sleep—you woke us all up," Rapida explained, beckoning with her tail to the other trainees.

"Must've been a rough dream," Banzai murmured, giving his sister a gentle lick on the ear in comfort.

Shenzi found herself panting heavily. _A dream?_ Looking around, it was still very dark outside, nowhere close to dawn. She saw the eyes of many cats around her, all staring at her. It had been a moon since their first day of training, and somehow the quad had made it through every challenge that their leader had thrown at the group. Now the tent that was once filled with outsiders had only about twelve left. They huddled closer together now to stay warm, so any slight movements made by any cat could be heard easily inside the nearly hollow tent. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean to wake everyone, especially so late," she apologized, her voice still shaky from her nightmare.

"Then quit it with these panic attacks every night. Just because you're sleep deprived doesn't mean you should make the rest of us lose sleep too," a grouchy tom muttered from the outer rim of the huddled cats, burying his head in his nest and curling his tail over his ears.

Rapida shot a glare at the tom before gazing at her friend gently. "Are you sure you're okay? If you want to talk about it, we can always go out for a little midnight walk," she offered with a small smile.

Shenzi shook her head but gave the grey she-cat a grateful look. "No, I'm fine, really. You don't have to worry. If I do want to talk to you about it I will though," she promised before turning away and shutting her eyes, laying her head back down in her nest.

The truth was these dreams were becoming a real problem. It had started long ago back in Witch's den when she was recovering from her leg injury. Back then, they were just strange dreams Shenzi couldn't interpret, but recently they had become more violent and dark. The dark presence was frightening, and this last dream was the first time she had received an injury that made her feel real pain. She never told anyone about what happened in these nightmares, but the others were seeing the effects. She would be awoken by Rapida or her brothers just as the terror got to its peak. Once everything settled down, it would be a long time before Shenzi could fall asleep again since she was paranoid about having the dream again. This caused her to lose sleep, making her fall behind in her training. _How long will it be before Hunter notices and tells me I can't participate in the dog fight?_

Shenzi blinked rapidly, her vision blurred. Suddenly she felt the weight of a cat pin her down, a paw on her neck. Once her vision cleared from the blow she had received to the side of the head, it revealed Hunter standing on her, his eyes narrowed.

"What's the matter with you today? Your senses are dull and you could've easily avoided that hit," the leader snorted, retreating to let the she-cat up. Hunter had stopped giving the trainees random challenges and had finally started showing them battle moves in the main alleyway the past few days. Each day they would get paired up at random with someone else in the group and would practice the different techniques Hunter had demonstrated until he told them to stop. This included him and Killer also practicing, since they too would need to sharpen their skills for the fight.

Shenzi rose to her paws, shaking her head to clear it. "I'm sorry, I just had trouble sleeping last night and I can't seem to be quick because of that," she answered, her head bowed so she wouldn't have to meet the tom's disapproving eyes.

Hunter let out a sigh and sat where he was, curling his tail over his paws. Behind him were all the remaining trainees and Killer, also practicing combat moves. Of all the days, she had been paired up with her leader. "I know just the other day I had said that you last couple would be the ones to fight the strays, but if you don't pick it up I'm going to have to remove you from training, and I don't want to do that. You did excellent on the challenges you were faced with, and never once did you slip up like this. Stay focused Shenzi; we're almost done here. Now up, let's do that again," he ordered with a flick of his tail.

Shenzi let out a small sigh and nodded. "Yes sir."

"Now, I'm a rabid dog hungry for cat meat. But being as boneheaded as I am, I just charge blindly at you, thinking of you as some stick laying on the side of the road. What do you do?" Hunter asked, rising to his paws and flexing his claws.

"I slide in between your front legs and claw at your belly as I go," Shenzi answered with a twitch of her whiskers. _At least I can answer him properly._

"Show me," Hunter growled and suddenly backed up a few tail lengths. Then without warning he charged right towards the Siamese she-cat, paws outstretched.

Shenzi slipped underneath her leader's charging body, but was slow on her paws. She clawed at his belly, claws sheathed, as she slid, but didn't give herself enough of a boost. She remained under him when she was supposed to have slid far enough to be behind him and ready to claw at his hindquarters. This gave Hunter the chance to drop down onto her, crushing the she-cat under his weight.

After a moment Hunter finally got off Shenzi, his expression disappointed. As she rose to her paws, her lungs taking in lots of air after not being able to breathe, Shenzi caught her leader give a small shake of his head. With that, he turned to face the other training cats. "Alright everyone, good work today! The hunting cats should be back soon, so relax until they get here and then you can feast," he smiled at them before beckoning his second-in-command to the side and heading off towards the Bonehill.

While all the other trainees slumped down onto the ground and began speaking to each excitedly, Rapida immediately trotted over Shenzi, looking exhilarated. "Oh, I can't wait to use these moves out on those vermin! They won't mess with outsiders anymore once I'm through with them," she smirked, puffing out her chest in pride.

"Neither can I," Shenzi yawned, trying to share her friend's excitement. She slumped onto the ground, feeling more exhausted than she had been the last couple of days. Sure, fighting all day was tiring, but she had never been _this_ tired. She glanced at her flank where the wound from the dream had been. She could still feel a faint trace of soreness there, despite it only being a dream.

Rapida sat down next to the she-cat, resting her tail over Shenzi's shoulders. "Hey, you okay?" she whispered. "You look a little beat down. If Hunter was being too hard on you, I can make sure he doesn't do it again," she meowed, smiling a bit.

Shenzi's whiskers twitched as she glanced at her friend. Something else that had started happening in the past moon was that Rapida and Hunter had become very friendly with one another, and Shenzi hadn't seen Hunter be friendly with _anyone_. Every other day Rapida would even go and share a meal with him and Killer, leaving Shenzi and Glaze to have small conversations while eating. The strangest part of it all was that half a moon ago, Rapida had starting showing signs of sickness. When Shenzi had managed to get good nights of sleep, she would on occasion feel her friend get out of bed in the middle of the night to go vomit or make dirt more than she used to. Despite Shenzi's insisting to go and see Witch, Rapida simply stated it was a bad rat she must've eaten and made her stomach upset. She had been also eating a lot more, even though all the remaining trainees did to build up their strength; Rapida ate more than the rest of them. It had caught up to her though; her usual small figure was now plumper.

"No, it's nothing really. I was just a bit slower in training today because of lack of sleep," Shenzi insisted, feeling her eyelids shut on their own out of exhaustion. However the moment she heard someone talking to her they swiftly opened again.

Rapida was silent for a moment before nodding. "If you say so. Either way, I'll be here if you need me," she promised before beginning to groom her pelt, drawing her paw over her ears.

Shenzi flicked her tail to show she had heard before her eyes shut and she felt herself drift into a light snooze. It felt as if not a heartbeat later the yowl sounded at the steel gates, signaling the return of the hunting parties. However, the change in the sun's positioning proved that she had been asleep longer than that. Letting out a yawn, she stretched and rose to her paws. Since now the trainees were already waiting when the hunters came back, it became a routine for them to take as much prey as they wanted before the hunting cats could pick something themselves. It was almost like being treated like royalty. Sitting down next to Rapida, who hadn't moved since Shenzi had fallen asleep, the two along with the other trainees watched as the now larger hunting group brought prey inside the alleyway and placed it onto the spot where the pile always was. Among the many cats were Beast and Glaze, though it was hard to find them since every single one of the cats had the same basic pelt colors and body structure. Once all the hunters had placed their catch on the pile, they stepped to the side, allowing the trainees to come and get their fill.

Rapida led the way towards it, Shenzi following close behind. Tonight was a night she would be eating with her brother and friend instead of Hunter. Together the two she-cats grabbed a large rat like they always did to share before carrying it over to their spot where they always ate. They began to dig in while they waited for the other trainees to get their food.

Banzai and Ed once again, like they did every day, waited for Beast before they began eating. The other trainees grabbed their own prey and went to their daily spots like Rapida and Shenzi did. Once they had all grabbed what they wanted, the hunters began to get into the pile themselves. Despite the trainees eating a bit more than usual to build up their strength, there was still plenty of prey for everyone. After several heartbeats, Glaze finally headed over to the two, a squirrel in his jaws.

"How was today's hunt? Looked successful yet again as far as I could see," Rapida remarked, gulping down a mouthful and touching her nose to her brother's in greeting.

"Great, it's a good thing it's summer. Otherwise I don't think we'd be able to gather as much prey as we do now," Glaze replied and stretched his neck out to greet his sister in the same gesture. With that he settled down and took a bite out of his food. Gulping it down, he asked, "So how was training today?"

"It was fine; we practiced battle moves again in pairs like we did for the last couple of days. I think Hunter is trying to get us to perfect all the techniques before he sends us all into battle," Rapida replied, licking her lips after taking another bite.

Shenzi simply gave a small nod of agreement, taking small bites out of her meal. Something about the way Hunter had looked before he ended training for the day gave her a sickly feel in her stomach. She didn't pay attention to the small talk Rapida and Glaze made as she continued eating small bites of the rat. She stared off into the distance, her mind wandering far from the alleyway. Shenzi didn't remember what she even thought about, but she was jolted out of her trance when she felt a large paw nudge her. Blinking in confusion, she turned her head to see Hunter standing behind her. She scrambled to her paws so she could stand and face her leader, but when she wanted to greet him no words would come out.

"I need to talk to you. I know this is going to be hard for you to take, but I think it'd be best for you to be moved to the hunting group. If we had been fighting the dogs today, you would've been killed. I can't risk putting a cat in such a dangerous situation. I know it surely isn't your fault you've been losing sleep, but the fact that it's something you can't control is why we can't risk putting you in battle. I'm sorry," Hunter explained slowly and only loud enough for the group of three to hear.

Rapida immediately rose to her paws, her pelt bristling in fury. " _What?_ Shenzi's been doing excellent in all your challenges and training yet she makes one mistake and you kick her out?! How dare you? I demand you take back what you said this instant!" she snapped at him, padding up so she was nose to nose with the tom.

Hunter glared back at her sternly and snorted. "My decision is final. Now pipe down. I was trying to keep this quiet yet with your yowling the entire Twolegplace will hear now," he growled and turned away back towards the Bonehill before the she-cat could respond.

Shenzi quickly placed her tail in front of Rapida. "Don't. It's fine, really. Hunter…just wants to protect me. Besides, I wouldn't want you getting in trouble because you were trying to help me," she insisted, blocking out any sadness she felt within. _Hunter's just making a choice based on safety…,_ she thought, trying to convince herself this was for the best.

Rapida sniffed and pushed past Shenzi. Looking over her shoulder, she meowed, "Trust me; I won't," she sounded sure of herself as she stomped towards the Bonehill after their leader.

Shenzi stared after her friend in confusion. How could she be so certain? Letting out a sigh, she turned and caught Glaze gazing at her sympathetically. She tore her gaze away from the tom and padded quickly towards the tent, mentally kicking herself for letting a dream make her so fearful and insomniac. _Looks like my training days are…over._


	13. Chapter Eleven

The alleyway light glowed dimly at the entrance to the tent, the only light source at that moment as dawn was still no where near. Shenzi blinked her eyes drowsily, carrying her wad of feathers and Twoleg fabric that had made up her nest. She had woken up early, not that it had been a problem to do so lately, and was about to do as every other eliminated trainee had done up until this point-take her nest before the others would wake up and move it to her new sleeping area.

The previous night, Rapida had failed to sway Hunter's opinion on the matter, despite her never faltering determination. The argument seemed to finally come to a halt when Hunter had in fact threatened to remove her from the battle as well. Surprisingly, instead of pretending that it hadn't bothered her and challenging him to do so, it only enraged her more. Shenzi had never seen her friend get so angry as she had watched the scene out of earshot. The two got into an even more heated argument, before finally the Siamese she-cat chose to break it up, respectfully telling her leader that she would move her nest by the next morning, and that Rapida would continue to participate in the fight as if none of her disobedience had ever happened. Naturally, Rapida wasn't too pleased with her friend's interference, but luckily she kept her mouth shut, as if the whole ordeal had exhausted her too much to argue any longer.

Shenzi silently stepped around the others, careful not to wake them. She slipped out of the tent, her eyes squinting to adjust to the unnatural light that illuminated the streets and alleyways of the Large Twolegplace before the sun made its appearance for the next day. As she stood there alone carrying her nest in her jaws, she couldn't help but remember how excited she had been on her first day of training. The first two training sessions seemed so far away now...The Siamese she-cat turned her head in the direction of the very first challenge. Even from the tent, she could see the large pole in the distance, with the bottom still lined with a Twoleg mattress and the preserved rat still laying there motionlessly on top of it all. She glanced up at the sky, noticing that it was still quite dark. _I think I have a little bit of time before the others wake up...,_ she thought, her curiosity getting the better of her. Setting her nest down where she stood, she scurried off towards the location of their first training session.

Shenzi slowed to a trot before finally halting at the edge of the mattress as she looked up at the pole. It loomed above her just as it had before when she had first tried to complete this task-the task none of the trainees had actually completed. She kept her head raised up at the pole as she sat down, curling her long tail over her paws. For a moment she wondered why it was seemingly impossible. Even Rapida had told her that at some point, there appeared to be no possible way for any cat to progress while climbing. Had it been purposely made impossible? _I guess there's only one way to find out,_ she thought, an idea suddenly forming in her head. This impossible challenge was her way to prove to Hunter that she could continue to participate in the dog fight! If she could just find out how to complete it, he would _have_ to let her back in.

Shenzi didn't hesitate to climb up onto the mattress and reach down, biting into the base of the rat's spine for a firm grip. She wanted its weight to be evenly distributed as she climbed. Bunching her muscles in her hind legs, she leaped up onto the pole and dug her claws in. She climbed up the pole just as she had the first day of training, and already she could tell that Hunter's training had made her stronger. Though their was some strain in her muscles and neck in carrying the rat and her own weight, she felt that it was much easier than it had been a moon ago. She recalled how soon there would be a sleek spot where her original failure had occurred. If she could just stretch out her forepaws past it to the metal sticks like Rapida had done, she could keep going farther than she had before.

Shenzi peered past the rat, her breath coming in short inhales due to the large rodent blocking her nostrils. She judged the length of the strange sleek spot and stretched her forepaw as far as it would go, digging it harder than she had before to ensure she had a firm grip. Her other forepaw was soon to follow, while her hindlegs gave her an extra boost. Quickly she reached for the metal sticks, which felt slim and cold underneath her pads. For a moment she worried that they wouldn't support her weight, but they were surprisingly firm. She soon scrabbled on ahead before her hindlegs could slip if left on the slippery surface for too long. She continued to climb on using the metal sticks, until finally she reached a gap of solely wood and dug her claws in once more. She was more than halfway there!

Shenzi continued to push on despite feeling exhaustion and further strain gnawing at her limbs. She had to keep going and make it to the top, or she would have to watch on the sideline as she watched her fellow outsiders fight their enemy. Her teeth dug into the rat's flesh further as she felt it start to slip, but as she returned her gaze above her, her eyes widened. The rest of the pole to the top was sleek! How would she make it up that far? There had to be at least a quarter more of the telephone pole to climb...She pushed her worries out of her head and continued to reach upward, forcing herself to continue to climb. However, as soon as all her paws were struggling to keep a grip on the slippery wood, she couldn't hold on any longer. Her muscles and her jaw were screaming in pain, and finally, she gave in. She let the rat fall from her mouth back down to the ground, and she was soon to follow after. The Siamese she-cat let go of the pole, shutting her eyes as she braced herself for her body to hit the mattress. Her body bounced once upon impact before she lay still, breathing heavily from all she had done to get so far.

Shenzi had lay there for several minutes at least, until finally she heaved herself to her paws and shook out her pelt. The rat had made the landing as well not too far from her. However, even though she had more or less recovered from the drop, she was astounded that Rapida's original suspicions had been true. There was no way any cat could make it up that last stretch of the pole! _Why would Hunter make our first task impossible?_ Shenzi thought in confusion as she sat down on the mattress and lifted her gaze back up to the pole. Was it to test each individual's strengths? No, there would be no reason to make the session impossible just for that. Perhaps he hadn't realized that the challenge was impossible when he first created it? No. What kind of trainer would that make him if he made a mistake like that? _Think, Shenzi, think!_ she hissed to herself, her eyes narrowing.

The Siamese she-cat forced herself to remember back all those days, trying to recall all Hunter had told them about their task. _"Your task is simple-place the rat at the top of the pole, along with you." Wait...he never actually said we had to_ climb _the pole!_ she realized with a jolt. Would Hunter really be as clever as to deceive his trainees? Yes, he must be! He was their leader! She gazed around desperately, wondering if there was some other way to the top all the outsiders had overlooked on their first day. _There!_ A fire escape was located next to one of the buildings nearby. She followed it to the top with her gaze, and quickly noticed if she got up to the top steps, she could leap across onto the top of the pole easily. Anxiety flooded through her as she saw that sunlight was beginning to touch the top of the buildings as well, meaning that the others would soon awaken. She had to hurry if she was going to be seen before Hunter started another day of training.

Shenzi turned and reached down, grabbing the rat just as she had before. She dashed as best as she could with the weight of the rodent in front of her, soon making it to the first set of black, steel steps. It was grated, but the holes where small enough that her paws didn't slip through. She heaved herself up the stairs, carrying the rat with her as she got to the first break point. She hurried along the flat part before turning to her left, meeting another series of steps. There had to be at least three or four more sets of stairs, and she had to climb them quickly. _At least this is a whole lot easier than climbing the pole!_ she thought optimistically. The Siamese she-cat heaved herself up the steps once more, grateful that she knew how to use them fairly well from her days as a house cat.

Shenzi continued the next process of reaching the break point in the stairs and turning to climb up the next one. Down below, she noticed that cats were starting to slip out of the tent. _Can they notice me? Or are they even glancing this way to begin with?_ She felt herself on even more of a time crunch now. If Hunter didn't even bother coming this way when he awoke, she would have to call to him from the top of the pole before the training commenced. Rapidly, she pushed on to the next set of steps so she could make it to the top.

The Siamese she-cat had made it to the last set of steps, the first signs of morning sun touching the black steel and making them warm to the touch. The sunlight caused her to squint for a moment, but it soon gave her new strength to help her push herself the last stretch of this challenge. As she reached the top of the fire escape, she inhaled the air for a moment. Despite her rush, for a brief second, she was caught up in the view from so high up. She could see the top of many of the buildings, and see out across the endless Large Twolegplace for several blocks. The dawn light touched the tops of the buildings in its path, making the entire settlement light up. In a way, it was almost beautiful, even though her home was created by Twolegs.

"Shenzi!" A yowl jolted the she-cat out of her thoughts, and immediately she glanced down, catching sight of three gathered cats close by the pole, with more following after them. She narrowed her eyes, and soon made out Rapida, with her brothers on either side of her. "What in the world are you doing up there?!" her friend called up, shock apparent in her mew even from such a distance.

Shenzi's paws tingled with excitement. The crowd forming below would certainly catch their leader's attention! She just had to make the final step and make it to the top, completing the challenge. She took a step forward, blinking in slight awe at the top of the pole, something she never thought she would see. It was about a cat's length away from the edge of the fire escape. If she could just squeeze through the bars that stopped Twolegs from accidentally falling off from such a height, she would have done it. She swallowed as she glanced down at the drop from the top all the way to the ground. Would she be able to make the jump? If she didn't, would the mattress really save her from so high up? She quickly shook her head. She had no choice. She had made it this far, and couldn't back out now.

Shenzi set the rat down for a moment, stretching out her jaw muscles so they weren't too strained and taking a few gulps of air. In the next moment she picked up the rodent again, her eyes focused on her target. She backed up to give herself a running start, before taking off, leaping off the edge of the fire escape and into the air. Her claws soon met with the wood of the pole and she dug in firmly, her upper half landing clumsily on it with the rat still in her jaws. Her hindlegs scrambled behind her, desperately trying to get a grip on the slick surface and push her the rest of the way. With a quick heave, she shoved her whole body on top of the rat so they could both squeeze in on the small circular space, and breathed heavily. She was on top! She had completed the challenge! If she weren't in her current location, she would've leaped for joy over and over again. In a way, it didn't matter if Hunter let her back into the fight or not. She felt personally accomplished for doing what no other trainee had thought to do, and she had done it on her own. That in it of itself was an accomplishment in her eyes.

"Shenzi! Shenzi!" Once again the Siamese she-cat's focus was drawn to the ground below by a loud yowl. Her heart soared as she noticed that the cat calling to her was none other than Hunter. Irritation pricked at her pelt at the fact that she couldn't tell what his emotions were from so high up. Was he astonished, or angry that she had risked something so foolish? She swallowed and steadied herself on her feet, her front paws resting on the rat's body as she looked down and perked her ears to show she had heard him. "Kick the rat down here and come back down!" he called again, causing Shenzi to subconsciously nod. _He didn't sound angry at me...but that doesn't mean everything will go as I hoped,_ she thought with a nervous swallow as she kicked the rat off the pole, watching it plummet to the ground below. Relief washed over her that she had more room to jump back to the fire escape and climb back down without any extra weight. With that, the she-cat bunched her muscles and leaped back across to the safety of the fire escape with ease and started to make her way down the stairs.

Shenzi took her time on her way back down, but kept her pace steady in case she had missed something in Hunter's tone and he really was furious with her about what she had done. She braced herself for any reaction that might come her way from her mysterious leader as she reached the bottom of the steps and touched the rough cement of the alleyway. As she turned to the group that had gathered, she was surprised by how large it was. Most of the hunters must have joined in to watch as well. Hunter was at the head of the group, with Killer and Rapida at his sides, and Banzai and Ed just behind them. From deeper within the crowd, she even saw Glaze gathered and-Beast? Had he really come on his own accord? He was too far away from Banzai and Ed to be brought here by them. She pushed the thought away, focusing on the one cat who she had thought about all morning.

Hunter stepped forward to meet Shenzi as she halted in her tracks, gazing up at him. His expression was its usual emotionless one, never giving away any of his thoughts. She held breath, anticipating what he would say to her, but her jaw dropped slightly upon seeing a smile appear on his face. A genuine smile that didn't disappear after a brief moment. In it she saw admiration and approval, as well as some type of amusement. "I knew there was something special about you when I first met you Shenzi. You discovered the mystery to this first challenge I put everyone through. I never told them to climb the pole, but they were all so nervous about passing they went with what was right in front of them. But you...You came back and redeemed yourself. You looked at the big picture and paid careful attention to my words, even if it is a little late," he paused with a chuckle. "I want that kind of brain by my side at battle during the dog fight. Shenzi, I revoke what I said yesterday...You can still participate in the fight," he announced with a brief nod.

Shenzi was frozen in spot. For a moment she felt like she was swaying on her paws, all this information too much to take. She was shocked by all he had said, but moreover that everything had gone as she hoped. She was going to participate! "Thank you Hunter! Thank you, I promise I won't let you down! You won't regret this!" her paws shuffled exicitedly as she spoke, nearly bouncing with delight as she looked up at him with a wide smile. Luckily she managed to somewhat contain herself in front of such a large audience.

Hunter let out a snort of amusement and reached down, touching his nose to her head to let her know to settle down. "I should hope so. Don't think I haven't forgotten why you were removed to begin with Shenzi...I expect you to do whatever it takes. Eat more, sleep earlier, train harder, anything at all. I don't want some dreams to make me remove you again. I expect to see you with me in the battle in a few days time," he said simply, but even now he hadn't returned to his emotionless demeanor yet. Shenzi swore that she could see a hint of friendliness in his eyes.

"Yes Hunter, I will! I promise on my life! Thank you!" Shenzi looked up at him, her tail waving as she stared up at him with a new-found emotion. It was as if all walls between them had fallen with this one task she had done. Perhaps now he would be more open to all the outsiders? Even so, she was honored that she of all cats got to see his true colors up close.

"See to it then. We must gather for our morning meal and start our daily training. Don't be late," Hunter flashed her one last grin before turning away, immediately returning to his cool, official attitude. "That goes for the rest of you as well! Don't gawk all day!" he ordered, stepping in between the gathered cats, who easily stepped aside to let him through.

"You heard him! Get going, or you'll start today's hunting without a meal of your own!" Killer growled as he noticed that the cats, mostly hunters, hesitated for a brief moment. With that warning, it didn't take long for the group to spread out and head back towards the main area of the alleyway, though this didn't stop them from speaking to each other excitedly.

"Shenzi!" Rapida dashed forward and weaved herself around her friend excitedly. "You did it! I was so worried when I saw that your nest was just sitting there outside the tent, but then I saw you climbing and-wow!" she cheered happily, rubbing her head against her friend's.

Shenzi giggled and accepted the praise, entwining her tail with Rapida's. "I'm so glad you followed my scent here. If you didn't, Hunter might not have come here as well as he wouldn't have seen me..." she shivered slightly at the thought of all her effort having been for nothing after knowing what had actually happened.

"Yeah...He really did seem proud of you, didn't he?" Rapida trailed off, glancing in the direction in which their leader had vanished. Shenzi blinked, and for a brief moment she thought she caught a glimpse of envy in Rapida's blazing amber gaze, but it was gone before she could be sure. Was Rapida jealous that Shenzi had possibly taken her spot as "best trainee?" Rapida however returned her gaze to her friend with a warm smile, driving out any worries in the Siamese she-cat's mind. "I'm so happy he decided to let you back in. I was worried I would have to go in the fight without you," she admitted with a chuckle.

"So are we!" Banzai's voice interrupted the moment the two she-cats were having, and Shenzi felt embarrassed that she had forgotten her brothers had also come out to see her. "I knew you wouldn't be happy that all your hard work had been for nothing, so Ed and I were really worried about you," he sighed, his brother giving a sad bark of agreement. "But it's all okay now! Congrats Shenzi! Who knew you were so smart?" he teased as the duo came up to her other side and butted their heads against her.

"I've always been smart furball!" Shenzi growled playfully as she swatted at them with a paw, Rapida purring in amusement next to her. By now they were the only cats left in this area, and she was about to start making her way back to the main area with them until another cat caught her eye-Beast.

The large tom that had raised them since their first day out of their home stood silently a few tail lengths away from them. Shenzi was surprised he hadn't left with the crowd of hunters just as Glaze had done. She met his gaze with hers almost expectantly. For the first time, she realized Hunter's approval wasn't the only one she had been searching for this time. It was her caretaker's as well. She held her breath as he finally stepped forward, looking down at her. Unfortunately, it wasn't the same reaction she had gotten out of her leader. It was the exact opposite. "Shenzi...What did you do?" he growled coldly. "Hunter had finally made a smart decision for once. He was protecting you, and keeping you out of harms way, and now? You twisted his view with your little show up there, which is a huge risk of itself. I kept my mouth shut this entire time, since I knew Witch had a point. You've gotten stronger, but you aren't meant to be in that fight! You'll be killed! Have lost your mind?" he snapped at her harshly, causing the Siamese she-cat to flinch back. She certainly hadn't expected this of all things to happen. She was so stunned that she couldn't even come to her own defense.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Rapida hissed in a moment's time, coming to Shenzi's rescue. "You need to learn to let a cat think for themself! If she wants to be in the fight, then let her! You're not the boss of her!" she spat furiously, stepping forward in between him and Shenzi. The Siamese she-cat was shocked by how angry her friend was about a situation that didn't involve her. "What kind of caretaker are you? You give Banzai and Ed all the time in the world, yet you shoulder Shenzi out of the way like a nuisance. Now you're trying to hold her back? Get back to your work before I tell Hunter you're slacking," she hissed, her fur fluffed out to make her appear twice her size.

Beast glared down at Rapida furiously, but the she-cat stood her ground, not at all fazed by the fact that he was much bigger than her, even though she was plumper than usual. It was as if she had some invisible power over him, causing him to step away from her. He spat with a twitch of his tail before whipping around, stomping off back towards the main alleyway. However, he halted and glanced back at Shenzi. "A cat who can't pick their own fights isn't fit to fight for their kind," he muttered, his words striking Shenzi as if he had actually hit her. As she watched him go, she was numbly aware of her brothers pressing against her for comfort, but her thoughts were lost elsewhere.

 _What did I ever do to make him dislike me so much?_


	14. Chapter Twelve

Several days had passed since Shenzi had returned to training for the upcoming battle. She had worked hard to prove herself to Hunter, showing him that he had made no mistake in allowing her back in. Though the remaining training sessions had only been ones that showed the trainees fighting techniques, she was much more alert now, and whenever she got paired up with her leader, she performed excellently. She even managed to pin him down a few times.

Her main concern had been her nightmares, but surprisingly they hadn't returned for a few days. Only on this final night before the battle did they return, but not in a way she had expected. In her dream world that she had grown so accustomed to, Shenzi stood in a thick grey mist, seemingly alone. There was a foreboding silence all around her, but she wasn't entirely scared anymore. She had grown used to what these mysterious dreams brought her, and as morbid as they may be, she was ready for whatever message was brought with them. After all, they had to be messages, otherwise why else would she keep getting the same kind of dreams all the time? As she gazed around her, her attention was suddenly drawn to the area in front of her, where suddenly she heard pawsteps approaching. A large, familiar tom stepped in front of her, gazing at her coldly. _Beast._

Shenzi's caretaker stared her down, his eyes narrowed. "What did I tell you? You can't be in this fight! Why are you so keen on ignoring my wisdom? I have lived on this world longer than you, and I know when things don't seem right," he growled at her, his eye flaring.

Shenzi huffed, feeling not one bit threatened by his presence. After all, this was just a dream. "There's no reason why I can't be in this fight! Banzai and Ed are going and you haven't said anything to stop them! Do you not think I'm capable just because I'm a true Siamese cat?" she hissed at him, her tail flicking in annoyance. Even in her dreams, his personality stayed true to reality.

Beast continued to stare down at her, his expression still cold. "You shouldn't even be here! You were never meant to be with them! You're not supposed to be in this fight! Listen to me, just once!" he insisted in an almost desperate tone, but it was so subtle Shenzi thought she might have imagined it.

The Siamese she-cat blinked up at him, confused by what his tone suggested. This couldn't be the real Beast, somehow entering her dreams to further enforce his message? _Don't be rat-brained Shenzi_ , she scolded herself for thinking such a thing was possible. But even so, it unsettled her how he had said what he did. "What do you mean I wasn't supposed to be here?" she asked in confusion, narrowing her eyes.

Beast didn't get the chance to answer her. He shut his eyes and opened his maw, but before he could speak his voice was drowned out by a frenzy of barking; loud, menacing barking. In the next moment large paws slammed into his form, causing his body to vanish like dust into the air.

Shenzi yelped and just barely managed to dodge the brute's pounding paws. He wasn't her only concern. All around her, more dogs howled and barked as they ran past her, not showing any signs of noticing her presence. At first they sounded confident, triumphant even, but it was soon replaced with frightful whines. The dogs that Shenzi had watched vanish into the distance suddenly turned and came sprinting back towards her. They crashed into each other and tripped, losing their footing several times before quickly getting back on their paws, fleeing from something horrible. It was the dark foreboding that always appeared in her nightmares, except this time, it was much worse. _Bam!_ The dreadful sound echoed loudly, making her fur stand on end. Whatever had made that noise was coming closer and closer to her face, while Shenzi remained glued to her spot in fear, until finally…

"Shenzi! Shenzi!" Rapida's voice jolted the Siamese she-cat out of her dream at the last second, leaving her panting heavily in her nest amongst her brothers and her friend. Her vision was blurred at first, but soon enough she shook her head and cleared it of her initial morning fuzz. "Did you have another dream?" She turned her head to see the grey she-cat looking down at her worriedly as she always did during these nights.

Shenzi took several moments to respond, still catching her breath. Whatever had been coming towards her in her dream, she had been certain she was facing her death, even when she knew it was a dream the whole time. As she stared past her friend for a moment, she was surprised to see a bit of sunlight seeping into the tent through the entrance. She was even more astounded to find that she didn't feel exhausted like she usually did after one of her dreams, but that was most likely because of the adrenaline rush she had suddenly gotten as she woke up. She quickly got to her paws and shook out her pelt, turning to face her friend. "I'm fine. I did have another dream, but I'm fine," she reassured firmly. This was the day of the fight, and there was no way she could show any sign of weakness, otherwise Hunter might try to remove her at the last second.

Rapida didn't look convinced despite the Siamese she-cat's burst of energy, but she didn't question her any further. "If you say so. I guess it's convenient you woke up now. We all have to get ready anyways. Today's the big day," she finished with a grin and gestured with her tail to the other trainees who were slowly starting to awake, thankfully not because of Shenzi for once.

Shenzi's paws tingled with excitement. It was finally time! The entire moon of training had at last led her to where she had wanted to be. The day Killer had appeared at Witch's den while she had been injured by her own dog fight seemed so far off now. Now she was trained by none other than her leader for this day where she would finally get revenge, even if it wasn't the same dog she would be facing in battle. "Banzai! Ed! Wake up!" she exclaimed, soon noticing that her brothers were still fast asleep. She quickly nudged Ed roughly to wake him up, while Rapida did the same for Banzai.

The two toms groaned and writhed in protest, slowly opening their eyes simultaneously. "Ugh...Shezni? Rapida? Why are you waking us up?" Banzai grumbled as he blinked his eyes sleepily at them.

"Because today's the day of the fight! I mean, you could stay behind and keep sleeping if you really want to…" Rapida snickered with a gleam of mischievousness in her eyes as she backed away from him and climbed out of their scoop in the ground.

Ed was much easier to convince, his ears perking up as he was reminded of the news. He barked excitedly and climbed out after her, Shenzi soon to follow. "H-Hey! Wait up!" Banzai exclaimed quickly as he scrambled after them.

"Keep up! Otherwise I'm gonna assume all brothers are as slow as mine!" Rapida called back to him teasingly as she led the way out of the tent, the others right at her heels, as well as some of the other trainees.

As they stepped out into the open, Shenzi observed the sky and weather conditions. The sky above was clear and blue, with only a few wisps of clouds here and there. It seemed like a perfect day to go into battle. She lowered her gaze and continued to follow Rapida, who led them into the main portion of the alleyway. Already the hunting group was out and about, setting out the fresh-kill so that those participating in the fight could eat well before they left. Hunter sat on top of the Bonehill as he always did, observing the group silently while Killer mimicked him, as stoic as ever as he sat rigid at the base.

Shenzi scanned the group of hunters as she and her companions started to approach the pile of prey. She spotted Glaze amongst them, but as soon as her eyes met with Beast's she immediately turned away. She hadn't spoken to the tom since their quarrel after she had been allowed back into the training, and at first Banzai and Ed were going to avoid him as well, but she soon told them not to. After all, Beast's quarrel was with Shenzi alone, and it shouldn't affect the relationship he and her brothers had formed over their moons together. Even so, it still pained her to see him get along well with her siblings and treat them as fondly as if they were his own kits, yet he hardly gave Shenzi the light of day.

"What do you want to eat?" Rapida's mew jolted the Siamese she-cat out of her thoughts, and she blinked to see that the prey was right in front of them.

"Hm...I think the four of us should share a two big rats, so we get our fill, but not too full," Shenzi answered with a brief nod. She reached forward and pulled one of the larger rats from the pile, blinking gratefully as she felt Rapida come in to help her carry it away so others could pick their meals. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Banzai and Ed mimicking their actions, following them to their usual spot.

The quad stopped and set down their rats nearby, already crouching down and tearing into the flesh of their meal. They sat quietly together as they ate, focusing on merely gorging themselves as well as the mutual acknowledgement that after this fight, this could be their last morning meal in the main alleyway. After all, each outsider had their own specific home to go to once this was all over. Shenzi wondered what it would be like to go back to the small alley in which she, her brothers, and Beast had lived in. It had been several moons since they had gone back there, considering they temporarily lived in Witch's den, then came straight here. Before she could dwell on the thought much longer, Hunter stood up and let out a caterwaul to draw the attention of those near.

"Welcome, my brothers and sisters. The day has finally come for our kind to show that we are truly in charge of these streets we call home," Hunter paused and, for the second time Shenzi had ever seen him do so, smiled with pride down at the gathered group of eating trainees. "When you first arrived you were all inexperienced in your own ways, but through my vigorous training you have made it far. Even those of you who have gotten eliminated from the battle are now more knowledgeable than you were before you arrived. Whether you fight today or not, know that each and every one of you will serve a purpose today that could change the entire course of the battle. My fellow fighters, today I shall lead you out to find one stray, a stray in which we will intimidate with the size of our group, and let him blindly lead us right into the heart of where the strays like to gather. Together we shall defeat those mutts inside their own walls. We shall come back to our home victorious," he announced, causing the trainees to yowl their agreement with eager waves of their tails.

"However, it is not only the fighters that shall ensure our ultimate victory. Those of you in the hunting group now serve a more greater role today. You shall be constantly alert, waiting for the return of your brethren. It is your duty to take them to Witch's den outside of the Large Twolegplace so that they may be treated and live on to bask in their victory. Those with more severe injuries will be top priority, followed by everyone else," Hunter explained, receiving murmurs of acknowledgement from the hunting party.

Killer suddenly got to his paws, his eyes narrowing at the cats. "Though I told Hunter that I should stay behind and monitor you all, he insisted that he wanted me by his side in the battle, so I trust you all can take care of yourselves and make smart decisions without supervision," he snorted as he gazed about all of them before sitting back down again.

Hunter nodded down at his second-in-command with approval before returning his gaze to the former trainees, now his battle companions. "Eat well, and then we shall set out at sunhigh for the fight. After those fighting have eaten, those who have hunted can take their own fill, but not before. Be patient," he instructed simply before leaping down from the Bonehill and meeting with Killer, calling off the assembly with a flick of his tail as he started to discuss something quietly with his companion.

Shenzi watched her leader for the entirety of his speech before returning to her meal, tearing into the flesh diligently. She cast a side-glance at the hunting group, somewhat surprised that they had to wait for the trainees to finish eating before they could even pick out their prey. It almost felt like their small band was being treated like royalty.

"Are you nervous?" Rapida inquired after swallowing a mouthful, drawing Shenzi's attention back to her companions.

The Siamese she-cat thought for a moment. "I guess you could say we all are. No matter how much Hunter has trained us, the outcome of the battle is still uncertain. I trust his judgement though, and I know the last thing he would do is lead his cats to their deaths," she answered sincerely.

Rapida had taken another bite of their prey, chewing it thoughtfully before swallowing. "Well, I don't trust Hunter's full judgement," she snorted before leaning down to take another bite.

Shenzi stared at her friend in surprise, but before she could respond Banzai got to it first. "Why not?" the tom blinked, licking his chops for any remains of his meal that clung there.

It was a few moments before Rapida responded, choosing to  
continue eating until she had her fill and pushing the remains towards Shenzi. "Well, leader or not, no cat can have perfect judgement. Not that I'm saying Hunter isn't a reliable cat, after all, some cats have better judgement than others, and I do agree that he's up there considering he's our leader but...I just know that he can't be right all the time, or 'know what's best for us'," she answered simply.

Shenzi and her brothers exchanged a glance before the Siamese she-cat spoke up. "Are you sure this has to do with the fight, Rapida? I mean, every cat knows that you two have become friendlier with each other, so are you sure your opinion isn't formed on personal issues?" she questioned with a tilt of her head.

Rapida's fur fluffed out and she shot a glare at her friend. "I don't have any personal issues with him! I'm just being honest! You can take it or leave it," she huffed, shutting her eyes and sticking her nose in the air.

Shenzi rolled her eyes but shrugged and returned to her meal. "Whatever you say…" she mumbled as she dug her teeth into the rodent once again and tore off a chunk of meat, swallowing it thoughtfully. With how Rapida reacted to her accusation, it was obvious that what she had said _was_ a personal issue, but she just wasn't going to admit it. The real question was why were the two suddenly butting heads. For the past moon ever since the first day of training, Rapida and Hunter had seemed to form a small bond. However, ever since almost a quarter moon ago, the grey she-cat seemed to always have a snark statement to say about their leader. Putting the thought to the back of her mind, she continued to eat her fill until she was satisfied before kicking away any remains.

Shenzi lifted her gaze to see that Banzai and Ed had also finished their breakfast, and as she looked around she noticed that so were all the other trainees. She brought her gaze to the sky to see that it was also almost time to head out. Her pelt tingled with mingled excitement and anxiety. Soon, they would be heading out to battle, and she didn't know what to expect. All she knew was that whatever happened, she would fight hard for the sake of her kind so they could live the best possible life out here on the streets.

Hunter's eyes shifted over the trainees, quickly noticing that they were all done with their meals. He bunched his muscles beneath him and leaped back up onto the top of the Bonehill in one go, his gaze falling beneath him once again. "The fighting group have taken their fill, and now it is time for the hunting group to gorge themselves," he announced. "Sunhigh has also arrived, and the time has come for what you all have been training for. Naturally, as your leader, my word is final, but you must obey my orders diligently out there if you want to live. I trust that each of you are smart enough to understand that. Now, say your farewells, and meet me outside the gates as soon as possible," he called, dismissing all the cats with a wave of his tail as he leaped down from the Bonehill. Together, he and Killer departed from the alleyway towards the gates.

The cats started to disperse as soon as they were given permission, many of the hunters first went to grab their meals, while most of the trainees searched for their friends and family among them to say their goodbyes and receive words of encouragement and good luck. Rapida was amongst them, of course searching for her brother Glaze. The two siblings brushed their heads together lovingly once they found each other, and from what Shenzi could see from a distance, they seemed to exchange a few words before Rapida started to make her way back to the Siamese she-cat.

Shenzi glanced to her side, and saw that Banzai and Ed were hesitant at first, but even they couldn't leave without saying goodbye to Beast. Shenzi wished she could feel same, but she didn't care one bit about saying anything to him at this point. If he truly cared about her, he would make the first step, but naturally this wasn't the case as she heard her two brothers returning to her side, and when she looked up, she saw that her caretaker had vanished into the crowd of hungry cats. _Figures_ , she thought with a snort as she nodded to her companions and got to her paws, leading the way to the alleyway's entrance.

Shenzi narrowed her eyes at the harsh sunlight as they stepped out into the open, no longer shadowed by buildings on either side of them like they were in the alley. Hunter glanced back at the four and gave a brief nod before returning to his rigid position, waiting for the others to join him.

Rapida made it quite obvious she was trying to sit as far away as she could from their leader, while at the same time sticking close to her friends. The grey she-cat sat behind Shenzi, keeping her gaze away from Hunter as she gazed about the streets, pretending to find them much more interesting as she watched the occasional Twoleg walk by across the street or monster drive by.

It wasn't long before the rest of the fighting group emerged from the alleyway as well, joining the gathered cats as they waited for everyone. No one bothered to converse, as if it would ruin the serious atmosphere that had formed amongst them. They all knew that all their training would lead up to this moment so long as they weren't eliminated, but now it was finally happening, and Shenzi was sure that most of them could hardly believe it, herself included. After all, she had gotten eliminated, and by luck she had gotten herself back in. _I can't fail Hunter now_ , she thought determinedly.

Hunter rose to his paws and gazed about the group, checking to make sure everyone was here and accounted for. "Alright, my brethren. The time has come. Let's move out," he nodded to them and gave them one encouraging smile that lasted for all to see before he turned away and started to lead them away from their home.

Shenzi followed at her leader's tail, Rapida right at her paws while Banzai and Ed shouldered her on either side. Killer as always was right next to Hunter's side, and the rest of the trainees were gathered behind them. In total, there had to be at least twelve of them. _Is this really a big enough group to take on some dogs?_ she wondered suddenly, anxiety creeping into her pelt as she glanced at their small militia. Sure, they were all well-trained now, but would that matter in the long run if they were outnumbered by their enemy? She quickly shook her head to clear it. _Rapida's remark from earlier is just getting to me. Hunter_ wouldn't _send us to our deaths. Would he?_

The group plodded along the sidewalk in silence, hardly taking notice to the different lives occurring all around them. Twolegs yowled at one another, monsters drove by, and more Twolegs walked back and forth on the sidewalks now that the cats were starting to head into the busier parts of the Large Twolegplace. Usually every outsider liked to watch in curiosity how Twolegs interacted with each other, where they went into those strange "shops" and got more pelts, or where they sat down inside other places where other Twolegs would serve them fresh prey. It was always fascinating, but today no cat bothered. They were too focused, too apprehensive of what was to come. Even for the larger group traveling together, the Twolegs themselves took almost no notice. Occasionally a few would glance at the cats, but they merely continued on their way, or sidestepped to avoid the cats as they walked on the same sidewalk as them.

The group continued to trudge onwards as the sun continued to move about, and for a brief moment Shenzi wondered if Hunter even knew where he was leading them. Before she could dwell on her doubts, the cats unanimously froze as they heard a distant bark up ahead. Their leader stopped as well, and narrowed his eyes. "Alright everyone, this is it. If this stray is alone, Killer, Shenzi, Banzai and I will take it on first. It won't take much to take it down and start to chase it away. The rest of you will work on intimidating it and keeping it from running into back into the streets. We don't want to lose it. If we force it to flee into the alleyway, it will be more likely that it'll lead us straight to some other strays," he growled back at them softly before taking the lead.

The dog continued to bark in small spurts, and as they moved forward the barking grew closer. A small alley appeared up ahead, the obvious source of the mutt's bays. Shenzi's fur instinctively started to fluff up. With each pawstep closer, she was getting closer to the reality of their situation, and she had been picked amongst the small group to take on the first dog. She dared to glance at Banzai, who held a determined gaze, though she could see his pelt was also starting to rise. She briefly pressed against him reassuringly as they moved closer to the alleyway, until finally, they stood around the entrance.

Inside, rummaging through the garbage, was a lean, long-legged white dog with ginger patches. It still hadn't taken any notice to the ambush that was about to occur as it continued to search for food, growling softly as it tore apart wrappers and other plastic coverings to reveal the small morsels within.

"Form a wall around the entrance," Hunter hissed back at the group, and slowly they did so without question, trying to block off as much of the dog's escape route as possible. With that, the leader turned and took the first step toward the dog, Killer right at his side. Shenzi and Banzai exchanged a glance, but they knew there was no backing out now. They slowly took a few steps forward after them, but remained behind the leader and second-in-command. "Hey, you big brute!" Hunter yowled loudly, causing the mutt's head to shoot up and glare at the cats. "Do you all think you can go on killing my brethren without consequence? Well, now it's time to see what it feels like yourself!" he snarled. Even though it was obvious the dog would have no idea what he was saying, the challenge in his tone was clear enough to provoke the mutt. Snarling, the dog soon charged forward, and the fight commenced.

It first lunged for Hunter, but the tom neatly rolled over and lashed out with his hindlegs at the dog. It yelped and growled, aiming to pounce on the his opponent again, but Killer was right on his other side, leaping onto the brute's back and digging in harshly with his long, sharp fangs. The dog howled and jerked its head around, desperately trying to snap at his attacker, but Banzai was right at its muzzle, slashing his claws across his face and splattering the creature's blood onto the pavement.

Shenzi stood frozen for a moment, but she knew she had to participate as well. They was no way the dog was going to win against all four of them! She let out a caterwaul and charged for its side, raking her claws across the mutt's sleek flank. It howled once again, and seemed to grow easily exhausted by the onslaught of attacks. Killer still held on strong, and had started to rip at its flesh with his teeth as he climbed firmly onto its back, digging in his claws to keep a tight grip. Hunter had also joined in again, nipping and scratching at its legs. It wasn't long before the dog had had enough, shaking his pelt desperately to try and get his opponents off of him. "Pull back!" Hunter commanded and jumped back a few tail lengths, while Banzai and Shenzi mimicked his actions. Killer however gave the dog one last bite before leaping off its back as well.

Just as predicted, the dog started to pelt to its escape into the streets, but the remaining cats were on their feet, hissing and spitting threateningly. Ed and Rapida seemed to be the most fierce, eager to push the dog back. The mutt skidded to a halt and flattened its ears against his head in fear. It yelped as it backed away before quickly bolting in the other direction as it desperately tried to escape.

"After him!" Hunter yowled and took off in the direction of their fleeing target, Killer right at his side. Shenzi and Banzai sprinted after them, and the Siamese she-cat soon heard the pawsteps of their companions charging behind them.

The group rushed ahead to keep up with the dog as much as they could, not wanting to let it get too far ahead or worse, out of sight. Sure, they could easily follow its scent or the blood trail it was leaving behind, but it would throw their whole plan down the gutter. Despite her paws starting to ache and her lungs growing sore from pushing herself so much, she forced herself on, knowing that only the first phase of their plan was complete. They had to finish it entirely, or their endeavor would be for nothing.

"This way! I can see it going deeper into the alleyway!" Hunter called back his encouragement as he charged forward, panting heavily despite how his muscles rippled beneath his pelt with every stride. Up ahead, the group seemed to become more alert as they ran as a series of barks sounded up ahead, barks from more than one dog. Their plan had worked! The dog had led them straight to the heart of the strays. The cats turned a corner before skidding to a halt, led off by Hunter, at the amount of dogs gathered.

The dog they had chased here was no where to be seen, but all the dogs that were before them now were huge and furious. There were five in total, but all of them had a vicious snarl and bulky, muscular bodies. It was obvious that they too had been hardened up from living on the streets. The biggest stepped forward, a black dog with distinct rust-colored markings. He let out a single, loud bark, and behind him the other dogs growled were their teeth bared and their lips drawn back.

Hunter remained silent, his ears flattened against his head and his eyes narrowed as he gazed at their opponents level-headedly. Meanwhile, every cat looked at him expectantly, waiting for his orders. No one dared move a muscle without his authorization, and the only cat who looked calm was Killer, squinting at the dogs before them in disgust. Their leader quickly glanced at their surroundings and took a step back. "Lead them into the streets! _Now!_ " he yowled, and no cat needed to be told twice as they turned and pelted down the alleyway, where the light of the sun touched the main streets. Hunter's announcement seemed to have triggered the dogs, as they let out a frenzy of barks and ferocious snarls as they started to charge after the fleeing group.

"When we get out there, turn and fight! It is time to fight for the sake of your brethren. Don't hesitate! Do everything you must to take these brutes down!" Hunter called encouragement to the group fleeing ahead of him, pounding on further and nudging those in front of him roughly to signal them to pick up the pace as the black and rust-colored dog started to gain on him.

Shenzi's lungs burned from all this running, and internally she wished Hunter had given them a session on how to build up stamina. She didn't feel relieved when she and the other trainees burst into the street, as now it meant the real fight was about to commence. She skidded to a halt and turned around, arching her back with a hiss at the oncoming dogs. Rapida and Banzai were pressed at her side, and Ed was next to their brother as well, as the group made a small formation at the mutts, and Hunter was at the lead of the group once again. The black-and-rust dog slowed as well, facing the cats with narrowed eyes. "Outsiders! Attack!" Hunter roared, leaping forward and launching himself at the large dog before him with a battle cry.

The rest of the cats and dogs broke into utter chaos. Killer was right at Hunter's side, viciously helping him fight off the apparent leader of the small group of strays. The other dogs soon shoved themselves out onto the sidewalk, charging towards the nearest cats they could find. The group broke apart, each finding a dog to take on in pairs or more.

A large golden dog with missing patches of fur was heading towards Rapida, but the grey she-cat snarled at it and lashed her claws across its muzzle. It flinched back for a moment, but Rapida was naturally fast, and she shot herself underneath its belly, climbing out and scoring her claws against its hide. The mutt snarled furiously and turned on her, and Shenzi saw her opportunity to leap in, pouncing onto the dog's neck and biting down. She raked her hind claws against him, just barely ducking away as the brute snapped its drooling jaws at her to rip her off. _I'm not falling for that trick again!_

"Leave my friend alone!" Rapida growled fiercely as she leaped up onto the dog's other side, digging her teeth into the tender flesh of its ear. The dog howled and shook its pelt violently, trying to shake her off. Rapida held on firm though, and with a ferocious tug she ripped a piece off and jumped from his body, causing the dog to wail in agony. Shenzi also leaped off, feeling the dog's muscles tense in defeat, and sure enough the dog pelted off yelping into the safety of the alleyway.

Rapida watched the dog go with a snort of satisfaction, spitting its ear onto the concrete. "That'll show him. Nice teamwork!" she purred with a wave of her tail as she glanced at her friend.

Shenzi nodded her agreement, but she knew this wasn't the time to celebrate, after all, the fight was still continuing all around them. She spotted Hunter and Killer still teaming up against the black-and-rust dog, covering for each other whenever one of them was knocked down or struck, but despite their bleeding flanks, they still fought valiantly. _That's a dedicated friendship, or loyalty. One of the two_ , Shenzi thought before scanning the rest of the fights quickly, looking for somewhere to jump. She spotted Rapida just as she took off to aid one of their fellow fighters, who was pinned to the ground by a ginger and white dog with a curled tail. She looked around for anyone else who may be in danger, but so far all the fights seemed to be evenly matched, even Banzai and Ed's as they fought ferociously against a large grey and white dog. For a moment she was indecisive on how to contribute, but soon her ears were met with a series of different barks that set her fur on edge. More dogs were coming! She whipped her head around to see the dogs charge out of the alleyway, three more to add to their enemies, thus outnumbering the cats greatly. _We can't fight all these dogs!_ It was obvious none of the current fights were close to ending, which meant the tide would soon turn in the favor of their opponent.

Before Shenzi could brace herself to take on one of the newcomers, she heard something else that made her glance around in alarm. Twoleg yowls! Of course. How could they expect to fight on the open streets without drawing attention to the Twolegs? Even if they naturally ignored the strays and the outsiders, this was something they just couldn't pretend wasn't there. They were gasping and speaking diligently to each other, moving in closer to the scene but not too close as to avoid risking their own lives. Some held up the strange devices they spoke into up to their ears, while others held it up in front of them as they watched in pure shock.

Shenzi was jolted out of her thoughts roughly as one of the newcomer dogs leaped on her, pinning her to the ground. She writhed roughly, spitting as she saw the mutt's drooling jaws try to catch around her throat, but she quickly jerked her head and bit down into his foreleg until she felt bone. The dog yelped and loosened its grip long enough for Shenzi to let go and squeeze out from under its paws. She didn't think she would ever have to fight a dog on her own after her first mistake, but it didn't seem like she had much of a choice. She had no idea what had happened to the other two dogs, but she focused on her target, dodging to the side as the mutt tried to snap and pin at her again.

Shenzi continued to dodge, struggling to find an opening to attack without someone else helping her distract the brute. Just as she was about to take a leap of faith onto the dog's shoulder, she glanced upwards as she saw a clear bottle go flying and crash right into the dog's back, causing it to shatter and send the clear stone flying onto the ground. The creature wailed and collapsed against the ground. Shenzi saw where what she now recognized as glass had pierced its skin, causing blood to form from several different spots and drip down its pelt. She quickly gazed in the direction the bottle had come from and saw a group of Twolegs laughing with delight at their accomplishment. It was clear from their wide smiles and the noises emanating from their mouths. Were the Twolegs helping the cats?

The thought lingered in her mind for only a moment as she saw more Twolegs start to join in and repeat the first Twoleg's actions. They grabbed the nearest waste bottle they could find and started to chuck it into the battle, aiming at random and sending more of the glass shattering across the backs of the dogs, while some shards managed to pierce the pelts of the cats as the glass went flying. These Twolegs weren't helping! They just thought it was funny! Fury burned inside her of the cruelty of these creatures that lived amongst them. She watched as the fighting broke out into even more chaos, with both cats and dogs trying to fight each other while avoiding the the glass shards that would damage them both just as equally. _Everything's going wrong!_

Yet another new sound met with Shenzi's ears, but this time she was almost relieved. They were the sirens that those monsters with the flashing lights made. She knew that usually it meant danger, considering they always appeared when Twolegs were misbehaving, and then the Twolegs in the blue pelts would show up and discipline them firmly, sometimes with violence. It would be helpful now so that these Twolegs no longer interfered with the fight and allow the outsiders to win once and for all.

As soon as the area became cloaked in the flashing red, blue, and white lights from these monsters, her ears perked as she heard a yowl from Hunter. "Outsiders! Retreat! Quickly!" he commanded. Shenzi peered through the still fighting animals to see her leader and Killer keeping the defeated black-and-rust dog beneath them in case it decided to shoot back up into action. Upon hearing the command, the cats desperately tried to obey and tear away from their fights, but dogs didn't have much of a code of honor and didn't allow them to go so easily. Banzai and Ed tried to scare their opponent away with vicious hisses and swipes of their paws, but the mutt continuously tried to snap at them as they tried to back away towards their leader.

Just as Shenzi was about to come to their aid, a loud _bam_ made her jump and flatten herself against the ground in fear. It was the same sound from her dreams...She glanced around as she spotted the blue-pelted Twolegs surround the fight. One of them held up something to the sky and the same noise repeated itself, making Shenzi's ears ring. She had no idea what it was, but she knew it couldn't be anything good. She saw that one Twoleg was carrying a strange stick with a loop on the end of it. It quickly wrapped the loop around the nearest dog, which Shenzi realized had been fighting Rapida. "Rapida!" she called desperately, but lost sight of her friend as the Twolegs stomped ever closer to the scene. The Twoleg that had gotten the dog had tightened the loop around its neck, nearly choking it as it started to drag it away. The other dogs glanced around fearfully at this, and started to flee desperately, pushing past the gathered Twolegs into the streets.

"Shenzi! Come on!" Hunter yowled from where the cats had backed away into the darkest shadows of the alleyway to avoid being seen. She could just barely see them herself. She guessed that most of them had already retreated while she had been rooted to her spot in fear. Quickly she got to her paws, ready to sprint to safety until a shadow suddenly loomed over her. "Look out!" Hunter hissed quickly, but by then it was too late.

The leader of the small band of dogs, whom she guessed had been released by its victors, had come back to claim one cat for revenge. He lunged quickly before Shenzi could dodge, biting into her back right below her neck and lifting her off the ground. The Siamese she-cat wailed and desperately tried to escape the brute's jaws, but it held a firm grip, biting into her flesh deeply and shaking her violently back and forth. Shenzi's vision was blurred, and she felt herself slipping out of her dizziness, but she knew well that the dog wasn't going to let go. Her paws wouldn't reach its muzzle to fight back, and it was shaking her too roughly for her to process what exactly was going on. Was this how she was going to meet her end?

 _Bam!_ The sound that had filled Shenzi's nightmares countless times roared into her ears, and suddenly the dog released its grip on her, dropping her to the ground. She landed with a thud, feeling blood trickle through her fur and down her shoulders from the nasty bite the brute had given her, but she forced herself into somewhat sitting position. She needed to know why he had suddenly let go. Shenzi's eyes widened as the dog's body shuddered and twitched as it whimpered desperately, and located right in its flank was a gaping hole, where blood easily flooded out in large amounts. "M-My dream…" Shenzi was frozen to her spot, unable to move even if she did have the energy. Despite being nearly killed, she felt a surge of sympathy course through her. If her dream had been accurate about the pain that it had caused, she knew that the dog was suffering greatly, and could possibly be dying from the blood loss.

"Shenzi! Shenzi, look out!" Banzai's wail met her ears, however as she weakly turned to face him, she overshadowed once again. She wailed pitifully as she felt the familiar texture of Twoleg paws reach down to grab her and lift her off the ground.

"Let me go!" Shenzi hissed, but even she knew it didn't sound the least bit intimidating. She didn't have the energy to wriggle out of its grip, but she couldn't let herself be taken away to who knows where. "Help!" she called out desperately, to Banzai, Ed, to Hunter or even Killer, to come to her aid, but still she was carried off. She tried to move her head around the male Twoleg that held her, desperate to see if at least one cat was coming to her rescue, but before she could see she was suddenly shoved into a small crate, surrounding her in darkness. She vaguely recognized being in one of these before whenever her former Upwalkers had taken her and her brothers to the vet. She desperately tried to get to the exit, but by the time she reached it the grate was closed firmly. "Banzai! Ed!" she wailed, unsure if they would even hear her anymore. She could hardly make out anything as she was suddenly shoved into the back of a monster, the two doors shutting her in complete darkness as it closed on her. "N-No…" she breathed weakly, her body aching with all she had done in such a short time. Her deepest wound was still bleeding heavily, and she felt her eyelids shutting on their own. _Just a quick rest…,_ she thought in exhaustion, allowing her aching tiredness to take over as her mind fell upon the true darkness of unconsciousness.


	15. Chapter Thirteen

A heavy darkness clung to Shenzi's mind. Her senses were heavily muffled, preventing her from truly understanding what was going on. She had no idea how much time had passed, or where she was now. She couldn't recall ever being fully conscious, but she knew from time to time something was touching her, moving her around, and yet even during these moments she was too exhausted to be broken out of her sleepy state. No dreams came to her, either, which was odd, considering it felt like she was asleep for an eternity. Only did one day her eyes slowly started to open out of the blue. Her vision was heavily blurred, and she felt dizzy for several moments as she tried to survey her surroundings. As she turned her head to and fro, it felt like years had gone by until she could finally start to see clearly.

Shenzi felt something soft underpaw, her gaze dropping as she noticed that she was in a bed like the one in her former home. It was soft and warm, and of course just as comfortable as she remembered it to be. Memories started to flood in from her kithood, but she quickly pushed them to the back of her mind as she continued to look around.

The Siamese she-cat's eyes widened as not far in front of her she saw a grate of metal wires just like the ones a pet carrier had. For a brief moment she thought she might still be in the monster, but she soon noticed that was she was located was much more roomy. Shakily, she rose to her paws and started to explore a bit.

Shenzi stepped out of her bed and glanced in the corner of this small room, where the grate met one of the walls. There were two bowls located there, one full of dry pellets and the other of water. She stumbled over to take a closer look, realizing just how hungry and thirsty she was upon seeing the pitiful meal before her. For a moment she thought it looked like some other cat had already eaten from the bowl, but she was too famished to care. She dipped her head down and started to chomp on the pellets. She had grown so accustomed to fresh-kill that it took her a minute to get used to the taste of house cat food again, but considering her current appetite, she was welcome to any food. She gorged herself on majority of the pellets until she felt satisfied before shifting over, lapping up the lukewarm fluids from the other bowl earnestly. The water soothed her dry throat and felt like the best thing she had ever consumed in her life. Letting out a sigh, the Siamese she-cat pulled back and licked any remaining water droplets from her lips as she continued to look around.

Shenzi stepped forward, her vision fully clear again as she approached the grate and attempted to peer into the outside world. Her eyes widened as she recognized what was obviously the interior of some Twoleg building. She was up several feet in the air somehow, perhaps supported by something beneath her. While it had been dim inside her little room, there was a harsh mechanical light illuminating the large room outside. Even when she was a house cat she hadn't been used to something so bright, as much of the lights in her home had been mellow and relaxing. She continued to gaze around, but soon enough her eyes widened at what she spotted straight ahead of her-a wall of cages, filled with many cats, most of them all outsiders.

Taking a fearful step back, she was easily jolted out of her calm state. _W-Where am I?_ She just vaguely recalled what had happened to her, and how she had been taken away by a Twoleg in their strange monster. Where had they taken her, and what had become of the rest of her fighting group? _I have to get out of here!_ she thought in alarm, rushing forward and grabbing the grate with her claws, desperately trying to free herself of her small prison.

"Relax, kid. You aren't gonna bust through that. It isn't possible." Shenzi flinched as she suddenly heard a deep rumble speak to her, causing her to whip around. She saw no other cat in here with her, but she soon spotted a perfectly sculpted circular hole in the wall to her right. Hesitantly, she prowled towards the gap, her senses alert for anything that could pop up. She poked her head up towards the hole, peering inside. What met her gaze made her eyes go wide. There was another chamber to this room, with three walls and a grate at the front just like the other, but inside was a massive Siamese tom. She could tell he was much, much older than herself, and surprisingly he looked nothing like the average Siamese. He was long-furred, and though his pelt was well-groomed, he had several small scars across his coat, as well as a few nicks in his ears. His green eyes met her yellow ones calmly, and there was no sign of hostility in his posture as he lay calmly in the corner of the room. "Hello there little one," he paused with a toothy grin and a wave of his tail. "The name's Bruce."

Shenzi blinked at him, staring through the hole as she hesitated to step into the same chamber as him. "W-Who are you? What are you doing here? You look so beat up for a Siamese cat...This isn't a house is it?" she said in alarm, suddenly wondering if perhaps she had been captured and taken to a place where one Twoleg liked to collect lots of cats.

"Hey, easy there kid. Weren't you listening? I already told you who I am. Though, the proper term for me is Balinese, not Siamese. Apparently you need a new name for a bigger, long-furred version of the same thing in a Twoleg's eyes. Go figure, right?" Bruce purred in amusement, slowly getting to his paws and stretching slightly. "Well don't just stand there all day. Come on in and I'll tell you everything you want to know. I promise I don't bite. Didn't your seniors ever tell you to respect your elders?" he grinned again and beckoned her with his tail before sitting neatly and curling his tail over his paws.

Shenzi stared at him for a moment longer before swallowing and slipping herself through the gap in the wall. She still kept her distance once she was in the same room, but did in fact move in a little closer to him. "S-Sorry, I just...I don't know where I am, or how long I've been here...my name is Shenzi, by the way...So Bruce, could you tell me what happened?" she asked hopefully as she looked up at the tom.

Bruce looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, twitching his ears as he listened to her. "Well, hello Shenzi. I don't know what exactly happened, but the Twolegs brought you here a few days ago. You looked like you just got out of a fight. You were bleeding and unconscious, and all of us here thought you were going to die, but the Twolegs took care of you. They treated all your wounds and gave you some medicine to help you sleep through the pain until it wasn't so bad. What exactly were you doing before they got you? That was a nasty bite I saw on your back there," he asked her curiously, peering his head around to try and look at her injury.

Shenzi blinked, not noticing much pain at all when she had awoken. She twisted her head to try and look at the bite she recalled the dog leader had given her, but it only caused a sharp pain to shoot up her neck, and she decided to just leave it be so she could go back to feeling nothing. She felt a familiar covering over her wound however, and she turned her gaze back to the Balinese tom. "Did they put gauze on it?" she asked.

Bruce blinked in surprise before giving her a brief nod. "They did. How did you know what it was? Is your Upwalker in the medical field or something?" he questioned inquisitively.

Shenzi shook her head. "No, I have a friend who treated it on my wounds once. I'm not a house cat anymore. I gave up that life to live with my brothers when I was eight moons old. As to how I got injured...well, our leader wanted us to fight the stray dogs so that way the outsiders wouldn't be threatened any longer by them, and when the day of the battle finally came, the Twolegs got involved just as I was about to get killed by the leader of the mutts, then I guess they brought me here...In a way I guess they saved my life…" she muttered with slight realization. "Um...where exactly is 'here'?" she asked as she raised her gaze back up to Bruce.

Before the older tom could respond, another voice interrupted from outside their containment. "Hey Bruce, is the poor girl finally awake? I hear you talking in there!" it was the voice of an obvious she-cat as she called over to him. Her accent and speech partners were a bit hard to understand, but nonetheless Shenzi thought she got the gist of what she said.

The Balinese tom sighed and got to his paws, pressing himself up against the grate as he raised his gaze. Her curiosity getting the better of her, Shenzi stepped forward as well, following his gaze to another cage slightly above them across the room, where a grey she-cat was looking down at them with her amber eyes. It was obvious from her pelt color that she was an outsider, though her fur was longer than most other outsiders she had seen. "I was just planning on telling you Violet. Can't you at least let her get used to things for a little bit before trying to pry into her life like you do everyone else that shows up?" he huffed with a roll of his eyes, but it was obvious in his tone that he wasn't truly annoyed, and it seemed as if these two were quite familiar with each other.

"Hey, this is different, alright? It's not everyday a Siamese cat shows up in the shelter! After all, you've been the only one Bruce! All the others never wander from their houses after all," Violet snorted back simply.

"Shelter?" Shenzi echoed, glancing from Bruce to Violet. "Is that where we are? What exactly is a 'shelter'?" she asked in confusion.

"It's where the Twolegs take strays that they find and put 'em in cages so they can get adopted by other Twolegs!" Violet answered simply, puffing out her chest. "Even us outsiders can find homes! I've seen it before! My cagemate was adopted and taken in by a family of Twolegs! You wanna know why? Because the Twolegs that come here aren't just from the city, so they don't get their biased opinions that all of us outsiders are vicious animals," she explained quickly, her words jumbling together as she spoke.

"Apparently things are the same in the city as they've always been. Shenzi here says that their leader just recently had them go into battle against the stray dogs," Bruce grumbled as he flicked his tail towards the Siamese she-cat.

"City?" Shenzi echoed, glancing in between the two. She'd heard the term used before by Rapida, but she didn't really know what it meant.

"Oh...uh...Large Twolegplace? Is that what they call it these days?" Violet thought for a moment before casting a glance at Bruce.

The Balinese tom nodded. "That's the word. It seems the newer generations know less and less Twoleg terms by the minute," he rumbled in amusement. "Maybe they're kicking out they're kits earlier? Even so, I still can't believe the views of the Twolegs have been so tainted...Back in my day, such a thing didn't exist," the elder muttered as he lay back on his side, still facing the grate so he could continue to speak to his companion in the other cage.

"Hey, Shenzi right? Are there Siamese cats living on the streets now too?" Violet called curiously.

Shenzi shuffled her paws shyly at being spoken to directly before shaking her head. "No, I'm the only one...At least I think I am. I don't see any others in the group," she answered just loud enough for her to hear.

"Ha! It's like a little Bruce! You hear that buddy? Looks like your reputation is over! You're no longer the only one to ever do it!" Violet snickered as she pressed her face against the grate to look down at him.

"Wait," Shenzi paused and turned to look at her cagemate, once again recalling the many scars she had seen on his pelt. "You were an outsider?" she said in disbelief.

As Bruce opened his maw to respond, he was soon cut off by his friend in the other cage. "Honey, he wasn't just any outsider! He was the _first_!" Violet piped up in a sing-song voice.

"When I first out on the streets we weren't called 'outsiders'," Bruce grumbled as he once again got to his paws with a stretch, sitting back down where he had been.

"What do you mean the first? You're not even the right pelt color for an outsider…" Shenzi stared at him in utter bafflement, trying to determine what the duo was suggesting.

"I was the first, or should I say, one of the first to live on the streets, but it was my choice. My brother and I wanted to see more of the world, so we ran away," Bruce started as he lowered his gaze to the Siamese she-cat. "He was what you would call nowadays an 'outsider'. But back then, there was no such tradition as kicking those who looked like him out onto the streets, and keeping those like you and I inside their houses. However, unintentionally, my brother and I started that tradition…" he trailed off in a sorrowful tone before shaking his head. "It was a dark night in the city, and my brother, Nightmare, and I were minding our own business. Even if strays weren't common back then, the Twolegs hardly paid us any attention. That was, until that night, where one female Twoleg in particular was unstable thanks to their strange juice that they drink. She saw us as we walked down the sidewalks, but for some reason her fear was gravitated towards my brother. Though he had done nothing wrong, she screeched and threw her empty bottle of juice at him, piercing his throat with the broken glass…" the Balinese tom swallowed as he recalled the event, and Shenzi felt a wave of sympathy wash over her for him. "She killed him. She killed him, and then called the Twolegs that run the shelter. They took me away, leaving Nightmare to rot onto the pavement…" he trailed off, seeming unable to finish his story, if there was even anything left of it.

Shenzi blinked pitifully at him and touched her nose to his shoulder for comfort. "I'm sorry about what happened to you, but...I still don't see how this caused what still happens today. If I thought anything had caused it, I thought it would've been ages ago! Even older than you," she argued in bewilderment.

"There's more," Bruce grunted, silencing her with a wave of his tail. He regained his composure and shook out his pelt before continuing. "Once I was brought here, I spent most of my younger days in my shelter cage, grieving and spiteful. I couldn't understand what had happened to me, or why I was here. All I wanted was revenge on the Twoleg who had killed my brother, though it's obvious now it would've never been possible. Many times, Twoleg families would try and come see me so they could consider adopting me, but I made it quite obvious I wanted nothing to do with them. I would hiss and scratch and bite if anyone tried to take me out of my cage to interact with those that were not always here at the shelter, and eventually they gave up. Sometimes I would see families peer into my cage with interest, but the shelter Twolegs would soon turn them away from my direction. In retrospect, it was most likely my only chance of getting out of here...But now I'm destined to live here for the remainder of my life. Though I'm sure the Twolegs don't mind, considering they're rather fond of my old bones…"

"But anywho, I've gone on a tangent. My original point was that as my time here went on, I started to notice that the population of other cat breeds in the shelter started to diminish, quickly being replaced by cats that looked a lot like Nightmare. I heard stories from them all, about how the outside world continued on, and it wasn't long until I discovered what my incident had caused...Twolegs are strange creatures, but news spreads quickly amongst them. They use those strange devices they hold up to their ears to communicate with each other. In a matter of days, the incident had been heard by all ears, and was certainly twisted by the words of the Twolegs. Though many cats don't know the true story, it was what had happened to my brother that had started it all. They said Nightmare was a rabid animal, a vicious creature that had attacked that female Twoleg...and slowly, one by one, owners of cats that looked like him started to kick them out out of fear, wanting nothing to do with them in their houses. To this day, I still don't know why the Siamese cats were spared, considering I was also at the scene, but yet somehow, they were never accused of any wrongdoing...I'm sure the Twolegs these days don't know the original story anymore either, but they certainly know that the 'outsiders' are rumored to be vicious, and such, it has been this way ever since…" Bruce explained, trailing off as he finished his tale and shut his eyes.

Shenzi remained silent for several moments after he had finished speaking. Her whole life, or at least since her brothers had been kicked out, she had wondered why this tradition had existed, and if it would always exist. To think that now, even after hearing the true story, it was no one's fault but the Twolegs'...She could hardly believe it. One simple mistake by a Twoleg who wasn't even in the right mindset had caused all this? She shook her head and let out a despondent sigh.

"Hey, no sulking over there in the fancy breed cage!" Violet huffed as she narrowed her eyes at the duo. "That's all in the past, and there's nothing we can do to change it now! It's not one's fault except that of the Twolegs, so the best thing we can do is accept it and move forward with what we can't change, am I right?" she insisted as her amber gaze bore down on them.

Shenzi suppressed a glare up at the she-cat. How could they just let something like this go? There had to be a way to change it! It killed her a little on the inside knowing that kits were thrown onto the streets for no good reason just because of their appearance, the appearance that had been similar to a "vicious cat". However, before she could respond, she heard Bruce sigh and shake his head. "I suppose you're right. When you're as old as me, you know lingering in the past solves nothing," he rumbled, shaking out his pelt as if to clear it of his negative thoughts. In the next moment his ears twitched and he glanced away from Violet's cage, causing Shenzi to follow his gaze. Over by the other side of the wall of cages where Violet was located, she spotted a wall made of glass, like windows, and within it was a door, slowly being opened by a Twoleg in a white pelt. Her eyes widened in alarm as she soon noticed the Twoleg was coming straight for her cage. "Relax kid," Bruce muttered, pressing against her for a moment before nudging her towards the hole in the hole in the wall to the other chamber. "It's just the shelter Vet. He's going to check on your wounds like he has been while you were asleep," he reassured.

Shenzi was still hesitant but it was obvious she didn't have much of a choice as she felt Bruce still pushing her towards the gap, forcing her to climb through just as the Twoleg opened up the gate on the side of the cage in which she was forced into. She stared at him with wide eyes as he reached down to stroke her gently, speaking in a soothing tone.

"Just stay still and relax. He isn't going to do anything to hurt you," Bruce told her as he watched through the gap, glancing at the Twoleg and letting out a meow in greeting.

The Twoleg chuckled, pressing Shenzi against the ground to keep her from squirming, but it only made her more anxious. She wished it were Witch here with her instead, another cat to help treat her. After so many moons of living without Twolegs of her own, she wasn't used to being touched by their large, hairless paws. She glanced at Bruce, but it was obvious he was silently telling her to keep still, and she did her best to do so. She flinched as she felt the gauze slowly get pulled off her skin, exposing her tender wound to the air. It felt as if it were stinging now, the protection that had been on it truly showing how much it deterred the pain. She yelped as she felt the Twoleg put on something slick and sticky on her wound, but he merely murmured something soothing to her once again to keep her still. Shenzi swallowed, her ears twitching as she heard a ripping sound behind her, but she refrained from turning her head to see what it was. In the next moment she felt the Twoleg press something against her wound and leave it there, the sensation reminding her of the covering that had just been on her wound moments ago. With a sigh of relief, she finally felt the pressure of the Twoleg holding her down vanish, and she turned her head to see him mixing something in with her food before pulling his head out of the cage and shutting it tight, waving his paw at Shenzi before turning away and exiting the area.

"See? That wasn't so bad was it?" Bruce purred in amusement as he slipped himself into the chamber with Shenzi, licking her ear briefly. "Twolegs aren't all that bad. Sure, things didn't go so well for the outsiders, but that doesn't mean they're truly hateful creatures. They're helping us, after all," he murmured, stretching out for a moment. "You should go eat," he said as he nudged her by her shoulder towards the bowl.

Shenzi hesitated, recalling that she had seen the Twoleg putting something in with the pellets, but considering Bruce was quite adamant about filling her stomach, she obliged and stepped towards the bowl. She bent down and ate her fill, which wasn't much considering she had eaten not long ago, but regardless it didn't taste much different to her relief, and she licked her lips with a sigh.

Bruce padded up next to her and examined the food bowl for a moment before nodding with approval. "Come on back over here now. Wouldn't want you on this side all lonely." He beckoned her with his tail as he slipped back through the hole in the wall to the other chamber, and numbly Shenzi followed along.

As the two reentered the chamber, Bruce's ears perked and he gazed out through the grate. "Odd. What are they doing in here?" he mumbled to himself as he stepped closer to the grate.

Shenzi blinked and followed his gaze, spotting two male Twolegs speaking with each other. Occasionally they would point in the direction of her cage, causing her fur to stand. "What are they doing? Are they talking about me?" she asked anxiously as she turned to face Bruce.

"Shh!" The Balinese tom hushed and slapped his tail across her mouth, his ears perked as if he were trying to listen to what the Twolegs were saying. Shenzi blinked at him in confusion, wondering how he thought he could understand what they were saying. However she remained silent, staring at the duo for as long as they were standing there conversing until they finally left the room together.

"Did you hear that Shenzi?" Violet called from her cage in an excited tone, pressing her forepaws up against the grate as she looked down at the two cats.

"Uh...No?" Shenzi stared up at her, tilting her head. Had the she-cat really expected her to understand what the Twolegs were saying?

"They're going to tell other Twolegs you're here and try to get you adopted," Bruce reported simply, moving his tail away from her mouth completely.

"You could understand what they were saying?" Shenzi gaped at him in awe.

"When you spend this much time around them, you can get the gist of it. I think we've all learned a few words here and there. You will too, with time," Bruce shrugged.

"Not if she gets adopted!" Violet piped up. "Oh, you're so lucky Shenzi! I wish I could have a Twoleg come in to see me! You'll have such a better chance at getting adopted considering even people from the city will come see you!" she beamed as she tugged at the grate in her excitement.

"But I don't want to get adopted!" Shenzi said quickly. In the heat of everything, she had forgotten her most important goal. She had to get out of here and get back to her brothers! She couldn't just sit around here and wait for something to happen like the rest of these cats were doing. "I can't stay here! I have to find my brothers and my friends! I have to get back to the city," she insisted.

"Getting adopted may be your chance. If worse comes to worst, you can just get adopted and run away, like you did with your original family," Bruce reassured her, resting his tail tip on her shoulder.

"That is, if she gets adopted by someone in the city. I told you that Twolegs come from other places in the area to get cats," Violet reminded him as she lowered herself from the grate.

"I can't take that risk!" Shenzi's eyes widened in alarm. If she allowed herself to get adopted, and that family ended up living no where near the city, and she could end up being separated from her brothers forever. "I'll have to do what Bruce did, and just scare them away from adopting me. My brothers and friends will come find me and rescue me!" she snorted simply.

Bruce and Violet exchanged a glance before the Balinese tom spoke first. "Shenzi, don't make the same mistake I did. You have a chance to get out of this place, don't ruin it by convincing yourself that someone will save you that isn't a Twoleg…" he urged.

Violet nodded in agreement. "Shenzi, I was just like you in the beginning. I was scared, and I wanted to get out, and I was sure my friends and my sister would come save me...But I've been here for years now. No one is going to come to my rescue except a Twoleg wanting to adopt me," Violet paused and let out a small chuckle. "It's funny. My own sister who always insisted on helping others didn't even show up. That's when I learned that you can't rely on any cat outside the shelter. Only we truly understand the life we live in here. After that, you remember the cats in here, and go with your real family, the ones that came here and got you because they wanted you-Twolegs."

"But you're not giving them enough credit! What if you friends and sister wanted to come find you but they didn't even know you were here?" Shenzi argued desperately as she looked up at the she-cat in the other cage.

"That may be true, but if that's the case, what makes you think your brothers will come and find you here Shenzi? Maybe they'll want to, but there's no way in or out of this place without the assistance of a Twoleg," Violet sighed, looking down at the Siamese she-cat sympathetically.

Shenzi opened her maw to argue further, however instead a yawn came out, and slowly she felt exhaustion take over her. "Rest, Shenzi. The medicine must be kicking in," Bruce murmured softly to her, nudging her onto her belly.

"Medicine? Why would the stuff the shelter Vet put on my wound make me tired?" Shenzi blinked up at him, her vision starting to blur.

"It was in your food. It'll relieve your pain and help you relax. Don't stress anymore, just rest," Bruce soothed, running his tail down her spine.

Shenzi found it hard to argue, the warm comfort of sleep wrapping around her and sending her into a lulled darkness she soon fell asleep by the will of the medicine she had taken.

"Shenzi! Shenzi, wake up! You're going to miss it!" a voice suddenly pierced through the darkness of the Siamese she-cat's dreamless slumber. For a moment, an illusion in her mind recognized the voice as Rapida's and she felt her heart leap. _It was all just a dream!_ she thought merrily, slowly opening her eyes, expecting to see her bubbly friend, however as soon as she recognized Bruce hovering over her, she couldn't help but frown dejectedly. It wasn't a dream. She was still in the shelter with her new acquaintances. "Come on, get up. If you sleep much longer they're going to leave you in here while we go to the Cat Room!" the Balinese tom pressed as he nudged her to her paws.

"Cat Room?" Shenzi echoed in a yawn, shakily getting to her paws as she felt Bruce nudge her. She took a moment to stretch out her spine and front legs, letting out another yawn. She could still feel some of the effects of the medicine, but she could tell it was starting to wear off as well.

"This way," Bruce stepped away from her and beckoned with his tail for her to follow. He walked towards the back wall, and Shenzi's eyes immediately widened as she noticed there wasn't a wall there anymore. A bright light was coming from it now, and Bruce was walking towards it. Suddenly his body slunk down and leaped, to who knew where.

The Siamese she-cat followed after him in shock, her eyes soon adjusting to the bright light. A few tail lengths below from where she stood was a large, circular room, with countless cats filled within. There was also an abundance of cat towers and other toys littered about. There were large windows along the entire wall, with one door at the opposite side. She soon noticed that Twolegs were coming in and out, carrying cats and setting them down in the room before either heading out or sticking around to play with some of them.

"Are you going to stand there gawking all day or are you going to come down?" Bruce called, jolting Shenzi out of her initial trance of the sight. She glanced down to see her cagemate standing about two tail lengths below her.

"S-Sorry!" Shenzi stammered, glancing down and judging the jump distance. She repeated what Bruce had done, slowly sliding her front paws down the wall before kicking out with her hindlegs, landing next to him clumsily but still managing to keep herself on her toes. "Is this the Cat Room you were talking about?" she asked with interest.

Bruce nodded and led the way further into the room, away from the back of the series of cages. Shenzi glanced back to see them, the back view of what she assumed was the wall of cages her and her cagemate had been located in. "Every other day, the Twolegs let us all into the Cat Room to run around and stretch our limbs. Sometimes they play with us, while other times they even bring Twoleg families in to see if they like any particular cat to take home," Bruce explained, pausing near the edge of the circular room where the towers and toys started to show up. "Violet should be with us momentarily. She's on the other side of the room so they have to take her out and carry her here. Oh, speak of the devil!" Bruce's ears perked and he turned his gaze towards the door, where a Twoleg soon walked in and in his arms carried said she-cat. He set her down and stroked her head for a moment before stepping away from her.

"Hey guys!" Violet called and padded over to the duo eagerly. "And hello to you, Shenzi! Nice to see you face-to-face for the first time, right?" she purred, her tail waving.

"Yeah," Shenzi smiled and gazed at the two cats surrounding her. She felt small and skinny compared to them, not only because her fur was much shorter compared to theirs, but they were obviously more plump. It was clear that they were constantly well fed here in the shelter, unlike how Shenzi and the other outsiders had to hunt for their meals everyday.

"Hey, you probably want to scratch after your nap right?" Violet inquired with a tilt of her head. Without waiting for a response, she beckoned Shenzi with her tail as she turned away, padding towards one of the smaller cat towers. "Did your old Twolegs ever have a scratching post in your house?" she called over her shoulder as she stopped in front of the small tower. "Try it!" she smiled and unsheathed her claws, scoring them over the base, where they got caught quite often on the rough texture.

Shenzi stared at the tower for a moment, before slowly starting to recall certain memories from her kithood. It wasn't that long ago, considering she only left when she was eight moons old. Vaguely, she started to recall a contraption as such, but she remembered her mother scolding her whenever she tried to use it. She had said it was only for Banzai and Ed to use, since she wasn't going to need her claws for long. She suppressed a shudder as she recalled Zira, but forced the thought of her mother's fate away from her head. "Yeah, I think so…" she mumbled and unsheathed her claws, reaching upward and digging them into the rough texture. Her claws got stuck a few times, but the sensation of tugging them out and digging them in again, as well as stretching her spine after her nap, made her fur tingle. "This feels great!" she purred and scored her claws against the scratching post for a moment longer before letting go and pulling back, shaking out her pelt.

"Are you younger cats having fun?" Bruce chuckled as he padded up behind the two, causing Violet to release her grip on the post as well and turn to face him.

"Oh please, don't compliment me! I'm not _that_ young!" Violet snickered and cuffed him over the ear playfully.

Shenzi purred in amusement before turning around to gaze at the rest of the room. All around her she saw cats lounging about, socializing with each other, stretching their limbs, or just playing with each other or the few Twolegs in the room. It pained her slightly as she noticed that most of them were obviously former outsiders, but a few were of a different pelt colors Shenzi wasn't used to seeing from cats in her home.

"Enjoying the sight?" Bruce rumbled as he stepped up to sit next to her, his eyes surveying the room for a moment.

"See Shenzi? You have your own little family here. Every shelter cat understands the hardships we have here," Violet told her softly as she came up and sat on the Siamese she-cat's other side. "So long as you have us while you're here, everything will be okay. Though, if by some miracle I get adopted before you get out of here, Bruce will always be here for you!" she smiled and waved her tail.

"Well I don't know if every cat here is family," Bruce muttered as he gestured with a nod of his head towards the left side of the room. A grey she-cat that was obviously a former outsider was hissing at a younger cat who was wandering towards her. The snap and swipe of her paw quickly sent the kit scurrying off to play elsewhere.

Violet followed his gesture and snorted. "I suppose you're right. See her Shenzi? That's Sky. Best stay away from her. And if that's not possible do _not_ mention the scar on her leg. She doesn't like talking about it. She's a grouchy she-cat. She's got the personality of an elder and yet she's younger than Bruce and I!" she murmured softly into the Siamese she-cat's ear.

"I'll keep that in mind," Shenzi chuckled and continued to watch the grumpy she-cat. "I wonder what her story is…"

"Speaking of stories," Violet started. "I feel rude. You and Bruce have exchanged yours, yet you don't know anything about me yet! I suppose now's a good time, right?" she cleared her throat and started to speak. "As you already know, from the moment I got taken in by the shelter, I've been here ever since. That part's pretty self-explanatory. As a kit, my mother wasn't the nicest. She felt like the unluckiest she-cat in the world, considering her two kits both ended up being 'ugly'. I was lucky enough to get a decent name, but my sister was always a troublemaker as a kit. Even once we were kicked out, she was cruel at first. It astounds me that now she tries to be so helpful with strangers these days. I never understood her...She was a strange cat. Anywho, because she wasn't well-behaved and wreaked havoc on the furniture in the house, my mother named her-"

"Witch?" Shenzi interrupted as she started to piece together details of the story. She was just guessing, but the way she was described sounded a lot like the she-cat that had treated her wounds and taken care of her all those moons ago.

Violet blinked in surprise before giving her a brief nod. "Yes, that's right. Do you know her?" she asked with a tilt of her head.

"Yeah, she's the healer for all the outsiders now...she has her own den outsider the Twolegpl-I mean city. Don't you miss her? Don't you want to see her?" Shenzi questioned with a frown.

Violet merely shrugged. "I suppose so. But I told you, I've always sort of held a grudge on her for never coming to save me. We were always together, before she became the healer I suppose. Back then, she just did it to help others, but now it seems she's a big shot, and without needing me there," she growled softly and narrowed her eyes before shaking her head. "I just got over it. I'll never see her again anyways, and I have a family here, with Bruce, and now you Shenzi," she purred and touched her nose to the Siamese she-cat's ear. "The rest of my story doesn't matter. It's very basic with the smaller details. Though I'm not so old that I don't remember the leader and second-in-command system," she finished with a nod.

Shenzi forced a smile towards her two companions, but on the inside she felt slightly anxious. There was no doubt she appreciated their welcoming attitude towards her and helping her adjust to her new surroundings, but she didn't want to end up like them. She couldn't stay here forever, or hope to get adopted like Violet did. She wanted to see her brothers again, and didn't want to merely forget about them and start to hate them like Violet did Witch if they never saved her. As she gazed around at the Cat Room, suddenly feeling trapped in the closed walls, she was certain of one fact. Somehow, she had to get out of here, whether her brothers came to rescue her or not. _Please, Banzai, Ed, don't let me down!_


End file.
